A Maymarket publication
SETTMG THE STANDARD
Autumn 1985
£1.50
TALKING MSX
WORKING MSX
TOP 20
All MSX computers are
built to the same standard.
That’s what makes
our first one different.
At Pioneer we’ve never believed in following the
crowd. We prefer them to be one step behind us.
And with our innovative reputation in Hi-Fi and In-Car
Entertainment people tend to demand rather special
things from us. Our new PX-7 home computer is just that
It has all the benefits you’d expect from a standard
MSX home computer, but with a few added talents.
No other home computer enables you to create your
own art and animation like the PX-7.
Up to 16 different colours are available and by using
the optional PX-TB7 graphics tablet you can create illus-
trations, shapes and various backgrounds. Then store up
to eight of these shapes with their respective animation
programmes in the computer memory.
Moving Pictures. Use the PX-7 in conjunction with
a video or LaserDisc* player to superimpose your graphics,
creations or titles onto a moving video picture. The PX-7
can also produce stereo sound with three different voice
patterns over eight octaves and superimpose them over
other sound sources.
Video control. When used in conjunction with our
SD-26 component television and LD-700 LaserDisc* player
the PX^7 has the added versatility of being able to
understand and control the complete system.
So if you’re looking for a home computer that’s
versatile, talented and one step ahead of the crowd,
remember there’s only one. The Pioneer PX-7.
Phone 01-200 0200 for your nearest PX-7 dealer
W The LaserVision trader
^ certifies compatibility u
other laser optical video
Autumn 1985
Volume 1 Number 3
EDITORIAL
Editor: Hazel James
Deputy Editor: Steve
Mansfield
Assistant Editors: Sally Wood
Julia Alexander
Art Editor: Richard Grill
Secretaries: Nikkie Smith
Lilamani Thiagaraja
Photography: Dave King, Stan
Papior, Matthew Barnes
Publisher: Gareth Renowden
Publishing Director:
Eric Verdon-Roe
ADVERTISING
Advertisement Manager: Neil
Alldritt
Sales Executive: Jo Murray
Advertising Production: Julia
Cox
Production Assistant: Ivor
Game
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
UK £7
Europe £10
Overseas £10
Airmail-Middle East £15
Airmail-North America, Africa,
India £18
Airmail-Aust., NZ, Japan £20
Back numbers and subscriptions:
obtainable by post from the Book
Sales Department, 12-14 Ansdell
Street, London W8 5TR.
Telephone: 01-937 7288. Please
allow two weeks for delivery.
The editor welcomes any
corrections or additions. Prices
quoted in editorial and
advertisements are correct at
press day but may be subject to
variation.
Every care is taken in compiling
the contents of the magazine to
ensure they are correct and
accurate, but the publisher
assumes no responsibility for any
effect from errors or omissions.
All material published in What
MSX? is copyright and
reproduction in whole or in part is
forbidden, except by permission
of the publishers.
Editorial, advertising and
circulation departments:
Haymarket Publishing Ltd.,
38-42 Hampton Road,
Teddington, Middlesex TW11 OJE
Telephone: 01-977 8787
Photosetting and litho
origination by:
Meadway Graphics, Carlisle
House, 198 Victoria Road,
Romford, Essex RM1 2NX
Printed by: Chase Web Offset, St
Austell, Cornwall
®Haymarket Publishing 1985
NEWS
We bring you up-to-date with the latest MSX news:
details on the brand new Mitsubishi, information on a
the latest games and business software plus facts on
monitors, printers and much more.
COMPETITIONS
37 Yamaha. Get your thinking caps on and you could win
yourself a complete Yamaha music system.
55 Mitsubishi. Here's your chance to take home one of
three Mitsubishi ML-F80 micros.
ON TRIAL
18 Pioneer PX-7. It’s not just a computer, but part of a
sophisticated and costly video controlling system. Is it
worth the money?
26 Toshiba HX-22. Simon Craven previews Toshiba's
upgraded micro and likes what he sees.
38 Spectravldeo X’Press. MSX is in business with this
machine — we find out how good it really is.
GROUP TESTS
30 MSX Review. Over the past year, eleven MSX micros
have been launched. We take a look at each one.
58 Soft Spot. A round-up of our top 20 favourite games
plus reviews of 23 new titles.
BACKGROUND
10 Introducing MSX. What does MSX mean? A look back
over the year and towards a promising future.
14 MSX BASIC and others. Tim Markes looks at the many
BASIC dialects plus languages such as FORTRAN,
COBOL and LOGO.
70 MSX-DOS. How closely is MSX-DOS related to MS-DOS
and what is it anyway? All will be revealed.
STARTING OUT
22 MSX packages. Compose music, balance accounts
and design pictures — all with MSX. We show you how.
43 The day I bought an MSX. Mike Gerrard discovers
there's more to buying a micro than meets the eye.
50 Disk drives. For the serious side of micro life a disk
drive is essential. Graham Bland explains why.
72 Monitors. Do you need a TV or a dedicated computer
monitor? We guide you through the pitfalls.
76 Printers. Do you know the difference between a
daisywheel and a dot matrix? With our help you soon
will.
80 Data recorders. Most software is cassette-based so a
data recorder is essential equipment. We check out
the models available.
82 Joysticks. Zap mutated aliens in comfort — choose the
right joystick. Mike Gerrard provides some tips.
84 Books. We select the best introductory MSX books.
BUYERS GUIDE
92 A comprehensive guide to all MSX computers,
joysticks, monitors, printers and software. If you want
to know what's available, you’ll find it here.
i.
#
► 4
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fmf 4 *
fSSmZ
Spectravideos
Printers' words of advice — p. 76
A touch of class from JVC — p. 80
All the latest software
uum mam
yourself a Yamaha ... p. 37
and a Mitsubishi — p. 55
Sanyo’s MSX may be fun, but it’s far from
frivolous.
Our MPC 100 is the kind of quality machine
only one of the world’s leading manufacturers
of business micros could produce.
You’ll revel in its 64K memory, superb 16
colour graphics, and 3 channel/8 octave sound,
operable by light pen or joys tick options.
You can rely on Sanyo back-up as well.
We’ve a factory entirely devoted to computer
production. Other MSX manufacturers haven’t
So even if you do just want an MSX for
playing games, you could end up a loser if you
don’t first see Sanyo, then decide. ^ SANYO
JUGGLING
JOYSTICKS
Silica Shop, specialist in com-
puter games equipment, has
just imported several Amer-
ican joysticks designed to
make games playing easier,
cheaper and more convenient.
With the £4.95 Rapid Fire
Control, an adaptor fitting be-
tween the joystick plug and
MSX joystick port, the player
adds quick firing facilities to
the joystick. ‘It’s best for De-
fender- type games,’ says a
Silica Shop spokesman as 'you
just press the button down and
it keeps firing’. It can only be
used to fu 1 1 effect with software
programmed to allow rapid
firing.
Two joystick extension leads
are also available; the High
Score 12 foot extension lead,
which looks like a telephone
lead, costing £4.95 and the
shorter six foot lead at £3.95.
Left-handed players will be
thrilled with the High Score
South Paw (Leftie) and the
Leftie left-handed joystick
adaptor (no, we don't make
these names up!) costing
£2.95 and £3.95 respectively.
By twisting the joystick
round 90 degrees, the fire
button, usually located on the
left-hand side, is switched over
to accommodate the left-
hander, as are all the internal
controls.
Finally, the High Score dou-
ble play Y-adapter saves a
playerbuyinga secondjoystick
to play a two player game — by
slotting the adapter between
the joystick plug and two MSX
joystick ports, it enables one
joystick to operate via two
ports. And all for £3.95.
The ML-G3 comes with twin disk drives and an RS232 Interface
M ITSUBISHI SHOWS O FF
ITS NEW BUSINESS MICRO
Here's a sneak preview pic of
the MSX computer Mitsubishi
has up its sleeve for 1986.
No prices yet, nor a fixed
release date — apart from a
'maybe April’ from Mitsubishi's
Steve Wankling — but the few
deta i I s we have so far certa i n ly
whet the appetite.
As you can see, the compu-
ter comes in two boxes — the
processor unit and the
keyboard which are connected
by means of an infra red beam.
The ML-G3 (as it will prob-
ably be called in the UK) will be
an 'MSX Plus' machine, with
built-intwindiskdrives, RS232
interface, the second version
of MSX BASIC, 64KRAM, 128K
video RAM (with additional new
screen modes) and an adv-
anced sound chip.
There will be a rack inside
the processor box for add-on
memory cards.
Other features which may be
incorporated include a home
control interface and a video
digitising interface.
The add-on memory facility,
together with the disk drives
and separate numeric keypad
indicate that a prime market
for this machine will be small
businesses. Let's hope that
they are not the only ones who
will be able to afford it.
NEW JVC
MICRO IN
PIPELINE
Rumours of a new business
oriented JVC computer are
circulatingand if proved true, it
will probably be launched in
the first half of next year.
A JVC spokesman told What
MSX? that the new machine
would incorporate a built-in
disk drive and word processor,
an RS232 as well as a Centro-
nic printer port and like its
current machine will probably
include both composite video
and RGB monitor outputs.
JVC hinted that the memory
would be a lot more than 64K
because, if launched inthe UK,
the new machine will be aimed
at capturing a slice of the
business computer market.
Whether JVC will be laun-
ching the machine in the UK
remains to be seen.
SOVIETS
BUY MSX
The Soviet Union has given
MSX the thumbs up by placing
an order worth over £2 million
to equip its schools with
micros.
Approximately 10,000
machines will be shipped over
by Russia's I nstitute of Science
and Technology once the res-
trictions on technological ex-
ports to the Eastern bloc are
lifted late this year.
The news has come as a
bitter blow to British com-
panies Acorn, Sinclair and
Memotech who were all hoping
for a share of the contract.
FREE SOFTWARE FROM JVC
Buy an HC-7 now and bag yourself £100-worth of software
Competition is hotting up be-
tween the MSX manufacturers
and JVC has joined in by
offering free software with its
HC-7 micros.
From September 1st until
December 31st every custom-
er who buys an HC-7 can
choose a selection of software
worth£100. 0ver200titles are
available ranging from games
to business and education
applications. It sounds like a
good deal to us.
The aim of the promotion is
to generate more interest in
MSX and match the competi-
tion from other manufacturers
such as Mitsubishi which is
offering to take £50 off the
price of either the ML-F48 or
ML-F80 in exchange for an old
micro — whether it works or
not.
JVC's HC-7 is a 64K micro
and costs £279. It's available
through JVC dealers and JVC’s
retail centres.
SPORTING SOFTWARE
LEVEL 9’s
LATEST
Two more thoroughbred adven-
ture games, Red Moon anti The
Worm in Paradise are now
available from the Level Nine
Computing stable and cost
£6.95 and £9.95 respectively.
Red Moon is Level Nine's
first attempt at a magical
adventure. Graphics, spells,
mythical monsters and magic
all feature in this exciting
adventure. The player starts off
in a volcanic landscape, goes
on to find treasure and must
eventually find the long lost
Red Moon crystal needed to
bring Magik back to the land.
Concluding Level Nine's Si li-
con Dream trilogy of Snowball
and Return to Eden, the text-
only Worm in Paradise is its
first political adventure. The
player’s aim is to move up the
social ranks, gaining enough
power and influence on the way
up to rid the city of its dicta-
torship.
You can contact Level Nine
Computing on (0494) 26871.
flee/ Moon
Martech's three new MSX
games all cost £7.95 and
feature famous sporting per-
sonalities in strenuous on-
screen activities.
In Eddie Kidd’s Jump Chal-
lenge, the player guides the
bike and rider over barrels and
cars. The more obstacles
negotiated, the better. Prac-
tice is important as dangerous
headwinds, varying run-up dis-
tances and take off ramps
complicate jumps.
Brian Jacks, judo and TV
Superstars champion, stars in
Martech’s Superstar Chal-
lenge. Compete against Jacks
in arm dips, squat thrusts,
canoeing, cycling, football,
swimming, archery and the
100 metres.
Helping Geoff Capes to re-
gain his form as Britain’s
strongest man is the aim of
Geoff Capes Strong Man. Once
at the peak of physical fitness,
the player helps him to com-
pete in various sporting
events.
Both the Eddie Kidd and
Brian Jacks games are now
ava i lable f or MSX and Martech
hopes to launch Geoff Capes
Strong Man in October.
For more detailed informa-
tion, Martech can be contacted
on (0323) 768456.
GOING
DUTCH
Dutch software house Micro
Technology has started im-
porting its business/utilitiy
cartridge-based software into
the UK. The first product,
MT-Base, is a card index sys-
tem with very fast response
times, automatic alphabetical
sorting and a 153 page com-
prehensive manual.
Fourteen fieldscan be set up
on each card, and card selec-
tion can be made by any or all of
them.
The company sees small
businesses, serious home us-
ers, clubs and hobbyists as the
main audience forthis product
and has accordingly included
several sample card designs.
Other products from this
stable include a Prestel
comms package which in-
corporates an RS2332 inter-
face, and MT-Debug, a prog-
ramming tool.
Prices are £48 for MT-Base,
£60 for the comms package
and £39 for MT-Debug.
MT-BASE
a userfriendly card Index
for MSX-Computers
EIGHT-TRACK RECORDER FOR YAMAHA CXSM OWNERS
Digital Music Systems is laun-
ching DMS 1, an eight-track
realtime sequence recorder on
cartridge. Specifically prog-
rammed to enhance Yamaha's
CX5M computer’s internal FM
Sound Synthesiser, the com-
plete software pack costs
£89.95.
Using DMS 1 with the CX5M,
you can not only compose and
record music at the the same
time, but also play and record
music. 'Its a real break-
through,’ says Philip Lyon,
managing director of Digital
Music, 'Up until now no one
thought it possible to design
software for the CX5M which
enabled a musician to play and
record music at the same
time.’
'Luckily for us', he con-
tinues, 'Abdul Inbrahim, a cus-
tomer of mine and now chief
consultant of Digital Music,
thought it was possible and
programmed this software to
prove it.’
Eight monophonic (single
sound) tracks ora combination
of monophonic and polyphonic
(more then one sound) can be
recorded and stored on disk.
Lyon explains, ‘Because the
music can be stored on disk, a
professional musician can
store at least 20tunes before a
show and then access and play
anyone of them within seconds
while on stage. Cassette stor-
age is much slower and less
reliable'.
The DMS 1 is menu-driven
and has a number of other
features: help screens;
sounds can be accessed from
disk, erased and rewritten in
steptime or real time; parts or
combinations of parts can be
played back from any specified
bar; any bar within a specified
time — the smallest time slice
is 1/32 of a crochet (quarter
note) — can be corrected; a
song can be transposed to any
key; a built-in mixer facility
alters the volume levels within
a composition and ithasaMIDI
clock option.
'With this clock option,' ex-
plains Lyons, ‘a CX5M owner
with external MIDI synths will
be able to play recorded or
realtime music in time with a
MIDI drum machine or any
other MIDI instrument.'
Digital Music’s future plans
include a similar cartridge
programmed to print out the
music score once it's finished
and a sound sampler. Any
noise, a dog’s bark for in-
stance, will be analysed and
reproduced perfectly. The
player will then be able to
compose tunes using that
sound. No prices yet.
Digital Music Systems is on
061-437 4788.
THE YOUNG
ONES
Fans of the BBC comedy The
Young Ones are in for a treat as
Orpheus Software will be re-
leasing the computer game at
the end of October.
Paul Kaufman, managing
director of Orpheus, tells us
that the game has been de-
veloped in collaboration with
the Young Ones script writers
and allows the player to take on
the character of either Viv,
Rick, Neil or Mike while the
computer plays the other roles.
‘We’ve spent eight months
developing the title,’ says
Kaufman; 'Forthe first time in a
computer game, characters
will be able to interact with
each other and speak using
speech bubbles.’
Kaufman refused to give any
more details except to say that
the title breaks new territory
and that artificial intelligence
is behind it.
Along with versions for Spec-
trum and Commodore, the MSX
release will cost £7.95.
Bee cards, memory modules
the size of a credit card, have a
program ca pac ity of u p to 256K
and are now ava ilable together
with Bee Pack, the MSX car-
tridge adapter, from Hudson
Soft for about £14.95.
MrMurai, managingdirector
of Hudson Soft, tells us, ‘We
hope to launch five Bee card
programs in September; two
games — Baseball Craze and
Starforce — and three busi-
ness programs — a word
processor, database and a
spreadsheet called T-Plan’.
Three types of Bee cards will
be available. Each card will
contain a different type of
memory suited for different
sorts of programs.
MASK ROM Bee cards are
used for home computer
games, electronic publishing,
printer font commands and
sales promotion programs.
Bee cards with EPROM’s can
be used for programs such as
medical health files, produc-
tion and office data and cus-
tomer information files, where
information can be written to
memory.
EEPROM Bee cards contain
rewriteable memory and can
be used for programs in which
information retrieval is impor-
tant — databasesfor example.
In Japan, Bee cards are
being used in conjunction with
various computerised systems
to buy video games, book
theatre tickets, reserve hotel
rooms, for computer shopping
and even for home banking.
We're not quite at that stage
here in the UK yet, but watch
this space!
Forfurther information, Hud-
son Soft can be contacted on
01-458 3310.
PLAYING TO LEARN
WORDS IN YOUR POCKET
Nine new titles have been
added to Mentor Educational
Services’ existing range of 23
mathematics titles; Tens and
Units, Simple Subtraction 2,
Introduction to Shapes 1, In-
troducing Fractions 1 & 2, the
Rectangle, the Square, the
Triangle and Percentages.
They all cost £9. 95.
These titles are intended for
several age groups. According
to John Howard, Mentor's man-
aging director, 'Eventually we
hope to have a suite of 40
mathematics programs cover-
ing the entire primary and post
primary curriculum’.
The company is currently
translating its mathematics
titles into Italian, French and
Spanish as 'MSX is doing so
well since Philips launched its
MSX over on the continent’.
Mentor specialises in edu-
cational MSX software and has
a variety of programs planned
forthe future, includingasetof
20 titles dealing with English
language. Each one costs
£9.95.
Finishing touches are just
being put to a suite of 12
physics programs aimed at ‘O’
and ‘A’ level students and
Howard intends to market
these on disks — but not yet.
Heexplains; ‘Wearewaitingfor
more MSX disk drives to come
into the country before com-
mitting ourselves to using any
particulardisksize. Wewantto
see which ones become most
popular’.
Eventually all the mathema-
tics and language titles will be
on disk and sold as education-
al courses.
Spectravideo is Mentor’s
distributor inthe UKandcan be
contacted for more detailed
information on 01-330 0101.
MicroPro's Pocket WordStar, a
condensed MSX-compatible
version of Wordstar and Mail-
merge, is now available from
Cumana on 3.5 inch disks for
£119.
Intended for both business
and home users, Pocket Word-
Star has a number of useful
features. Itwill create, editand
print documents in any speci-
fied quantity. Facilities for
formatting text include under-
lining, bold, centering, tabula-
tion, insertion, overtyping,
headers and super script.
With Mail merge, labels can
be addressed, enabling one
letter to be sent to as many
addresses as desired.
Robin Oliver, MicroPro’s
managingdirectortellsus, ‘We
felt that the development of
this exciting new growth area
(cheap quality software for
home computers) was being
hampered by businessmen not
having serious reliable soft-
ware products’.
He continues, ‘Clearly, any-
body considering the purchase
of such a system for profes-
sional usage is very cost con-
scious, but would like the
dependability and power of
WordStar for word processing.
We are delighted to be in a
position to release Pocket
WordStar offering full features
at a suitable price’.
NODES OF YESOD
Nodes of Yesod (no, it’s not a
typing error!), Odin Computer
Graphic’s first MSX game, is a
graphics adventure costing
£9.95.
To rid the moon of an un-
sightly alien monolith hidden
deep inside a labyrinth of inner
passages, the player must
move an astronaut through
256 lunar screens collecting
several variously-shaped
alchiems.
Before starting on his
travels, the astronaut must
first capture a moon mole.
Once the alchiems are
gathered together, they form a
key to the cavern where the
monolith is situated.
Odin Computer Graphics is
on 051-709 4462.
THE UNIQUE
CENTRE
SYSTEM
TOSHIBA SONY JVC PANASONIC MITSUBISHI SANYO
PHONE US NOW FOR OUR SPECIAL SUMMER OFFERS ON MSX COMPUTERS
KONAMI
Super Cobra £1 6.95
Comic Bakery £16.95
T rack and Field 1 £1 6.95
Hyper Sports 1 £16.95
Antarctic Adventure £1 6.95
Tennis £16.95
Mopi Ranger £16.95
Sky Jaguar £16.95
Golf £16.95
Circus Charlie £1 6.95
Time Pilot £16.95
T rack and Field 2 £1 6.95
Athletic Land £1 6.95
Monkey Academy £1 6.95
Hyper Sports 2 £16.95
Yie Ar Kung-Fu £16.95
Kings Valley £16.95
Hyper Shot £15.85
KUMA
North Sea Bullion Adventure £7.95
Galactic Mercenaries £7.95
Cribbage £5.95
Super Chess £8.95
Ninja £6.95
Shadow of the Bear £7.95
Darkwood Manor £7.95
Galaxia £6.95
Wdpro Word Processor £29.95
Database £19.95
BOOKS
Starting with MSX £5.95
Starting Machine Code with MSX
£7.95
Behind the Screen of MSX .... £8.95
Useful Utilities for MSX £2.99
Practical MSX Machine Code £4.95
MSX Exposed £6.95
MSX Games Book £6.95
Getting More From MSX £7.95
Introducing MSX Basic £6.95
MSX Prog’s Ref Guide £14.95
Le Mans £9.95
Buzz Off £7.95
Buck Rodgers £1 1 .95
The Wreck (now in stock) ....£14.95
Backgammon £9.95
LEVEL 9 COMPUTING
Colossal Adventure £9.95
Adventure Quest £9.95
Lords of Time £9.95
Emerald Isle £6.95
Snowball £9.95
Dungeon Adventure £9.95
Return to Eden £9.95
MR MICRO
Crazy Golf £7.95
Punchy £7.95
Zakils Wood £7.95
Cubit £7.95
Humphrey £7.95
Mayhem £7.95
SOFTWARE PROJECTS
Jet Set Willy £7.95
Manic Miner £7.95
AMPALSOFT
Challenge My Bluff £9.95
Lets Go MSX £9.95
Kriss Kross Quiz £9.95
Fun Words £9.95
MOREWOOD SOFTWARE
Cannon Fighter £6.95
Superpuzzle £6.95
Panic Junction £6.95
Calculation I £9.95
Memory £9.95
Reflexes £9.95
Intro to Numbers £9.95
Calculation 2 £9.95
Reasoning £9.95
Anty £6.95
ACTIVISION
Beam Rider
Pitfall 1 1
Ghostbusters..
Decathlon
River Raid
Hero
£1 1 .99
£1 1 .99
£11.99
£11.99
£1 1 .99
£1 1 .99
COMPUTER MATES
Cards Filing System £49.95
Mailshot Wordprocessor & Cards
£99.95
Spreadsheet £49.95
Wordprocessor £49.95
Cash Accounts £1 28.95
GST/ELECTRIC
Shark Hunter £8.95
Zaxxon £1 1 .95
Norseman £8.95
MELBOURNE HOUSE
The Hobbit £1 4.95
Classic Adventure £6.95
I
ORDER
TOTAL £
All prices include VAT and post and packing. All items include a full year
guarantee. Products are stocked and usually despatched within two days.
Overseas customers add £4 post and packing. Cheques (with cheque card
number)/Postal Order, etc., payable to TAVISTOCK HI-FI LTD. Telephone orders
(0234) 56323.
Please debit my Access/Barclaycard
Card Number
Signature
Name
Address
What MSX?/Aut.
VIRGIN GAMES
Sourcery £8.95
TOSHIBA
3D Golf £6.95
Pinball Game £6.95
Battleship Clapton II £6.95
Polar Star £6.95
Pyramid Warp £6.95
Pack of all five for £30.00
CDS
French is Fun £7.95
Spanish is Fun £7.95
German is Fun £7.95
Italian is Fun £7.95
ANIROG
Flightpath 737 £8.95
ALIGATA
Contract Bridge £9.95
Disc Warrior £7.95
Blagger £7.95
SONY
Battlecross (HBFG 005) £17.95
Mouseo (HBFG 007C) £17.95
Juno First (HBFG 002C) £17.95
Crazy Train (HBFG 006C) £1 7.95
Doroden (HBFG 01 4C) £17.95
Home Writer (HBFG 003C) £24.95
ASK
Number Painter £8.95
STELL
Maths Invaders £7.95
QUICKSILVA
Boogaboo £7.95
The Snowman £7.95
A+F
Chuckie Egg £6.90
SHIELD
Chemistry O-Level Examiner £9.95
Physics O-Level Examiner ... £9.95
Maths O-Level Examiner £9.95
PSS
Les Flics £7.95
Champ £12.95
Time Bandits £7.95
Maxima £7.95
MIRRORSOFT
737 Flight Simulator £9.95
MEGACYCAL
Gumshoe Logic £9.20
Revise Physics £8.50
Gods of the Tomb £9.20
ARTIC
Mr Wongs Loopy Laundry £6.95
LIAMOSOFT
Psychedelia £6.95
MST
MST-CALC £12.95
MST-Home Accounts £12.95
MST -Database £1 2.95
PANASONIC
Break Out £1 6.45
Pairs £16.45
Sasa £16.45
lllegus £16.45
Turmoil £16.45
Golf £16.45
TERMINAL
Lazy Jones £8.95
ORPHEUS
Boulderdash £6.95
HAL LABORATORY
Mr Ching £14.95
Rollerball £14.95
Hole in One £14.95
Step Up £14.95
Super Billiards £14.95
Super Snake £14.95
STATESOFT
Icicle £7.95
OCEAN
Hunchback £6.90
DKTRONICS
Minder £9.95
PERIPHERALS
Sanyo DR-202 Data Recorder
£44.95
Sanyo Lightpen £89.95
Sony JS-55 Joystick £1 9.95
Sony JS-75 Remote Joystick
£64.95
Toshiba Plotter Printer Pens £4.50
Printer Cable 14 Pin to 36 Pin
£14.95
Mitsubishi ML-50JY Joystick
£12.95
Toshiba RS-232 £99.95
Panasonic KX-P1091 DOT/MAT
printer £299.95
BUY FROM THE EXPERTS — WITH
CONFIDENCE
All software normally despatched by return
2 1 The Broadway, Bedford MK40 2TL
Telephone: Bedford (0234) 56323
NEW MOUSE
FOR THE
MSX STABLE
At last, a mouse has been
developed for MSX computers.
Wigmore House has released
the MS2000 mouse together
with cassette or cart-
ridge-based software, for
MSX.
The mouse incorporates a
rubber ball, allowing it to work
accurately even on smooth
surfaces, and two control
buttons.
The software incorporates
the usual standard shapes,
free and dotted lines, straight
lines and painting in 15 prim-
ary colours, together with such
features as pan, mirror imag-
ing, zoom, text, print, dupli-
cation and painting with 120
colour mixes.
Drawings can be saved and
loaded from cassette. The
MS2000 costs £78.90 inc VAT
(£5 extra for cartridge) and
Wigmore House can be con-
tacted on 01-734 0171/2/3.
MSX’a own lovable rodent
GOOD NEWS
Some good news on the printer
front from two leading manu-
facturers.
Riteman has released a new
F+ dot matrix model offering
bi-directional printing up to
105 cps, a 96 ASCII italic
character set option and, un-
like most printers, paper feed
from the front which prevents
all that tangling with the
cables.
Epson has cut the price of its
RX100+ and FX80+ printers
by £51 and £102 respectively.
Shawn Goffe, Epson's distri-
bution and marketing mana-
ger, says, The Autumn is going
to be a busy period for dot
matrix printers'. So if you’re
contemplating a purchase it’s
well worth shopping around —
you could pick up a bargain!
DATAUNES MAKES IT EASY
Shopping round for plugs and
printer cables can be a real
pain, sowhynot letyourfingers
do the walking and flick
through the latest directory
from accessories supplier
Datalines.
Data I i nes stocks a variety of
printer cables, interfaces and
modems which are suitable for
MSX.
A quick phone call on the
company’s hotline, (0908)
311077 beats pounding the
streets and is a lot less trouble
in the long run.
If you’d like to have a browse
through the product range, the
directory can be obtained from
Datalines, 68 Alston Drive,
BradwellAbbey, Milton Keynes
MK13 9HB.
PHILI PS GETS
SERI OUS O N
RECORDERS
Dedicated data recorders are
moreefficientwhen itcomesto
loading and saving programs
and Philips’ latest model is no
exception.
Its D6450 data recorder has
been ergonomically designed
and is geared towards the
‘serious’ computer user.
Features include a normal/
reverse phase switch, touch
sensitive control keys, LED
indicators and a monitor
switch.
The Philips machine is very
similar in design to JVC's data
recorder, but at £38 is less
than half the price.
Further details can be
obtained from Philips on 01-
689 2166.
The 06450 — for ‘serious’ users
LOEWE STARTS OFF WITH DOUBLE VISION
Two TV/Monitors, the 10 inch
MCP 110 and 14 inch MCP
114, both costing £380, are
now available from Loewe
Opta, a German company new
to the British market. It hopes
to launch three more models by
the end of the year.
The portable mediumto high
resolution MCP 110 has a flat
square tube, SCART socket,
full function digital remote
control and a contrastfilter. It’s
also accompanied by a 12V
battery connector lead so you •
can use it from a car battery.
This model is available in
chrome or charcoal grey.
Loewe's MCP 114 has simi-
lar features except that it has a
standard to medium resolution
display. Tony Vernon, Loewe’s
sales director tells us, ‘All the
MCP 114s will probably be
fitted with FSTs by the end of
the year'.
Commentingonthe relative-
lyhigh prices, Vernon explains;
‘Loewe is not interested in
selling everything off cheaply,
we spend far too much on R&D
(Research and Development)
getting our products as inno-
vative and sophisticated as
possible’.
Vernon stresses that Loewe
onlyintendstosell its products
inspecialistconsumerelectro-
nic shops, avoiding any possi-
ble conflict with national multi-
ples like Dixons and Lasky's.
Loewe has several more
products lined up for us. TV/
monitors in the Loewe pipeline
include the 15, 21and 27 inch
TV/monitors, all utilising flat
square tubes, which provide
quality, distortion free dis-
plays. Loewe hasn’t decided on
exact launch dates or prices,
but Verno n expects themto sel I
for under £550.
Contact Loewe Opta on 01-
847 3641 .
MSX is gearing up for the
ear ahead. We examine its
pas^jresen^
the future has in store
I n the autumn of 1984, MSX
computers finally arrived In
the UK. Critical reaction was
underwhelming. Outdated and
ancient, based on an old chip,
merely competent and de-
finitely overpriced — those
were typical comments. If
you’d been Kay Nlshl, the man
who Invented MSX — or one of
the giant Japanese companies
who are making MSX
machines, you’d have had ev-
ery right to feel depressed .
Add to that the fact that
Christmas 1984 was nowhere
near as excitingfor micro sales
as 1983, and that no home
computers (with the possible
exception of Amstrad) sold as
well as the manufacturers ex-
pected (just look at the prob-
lems Acorn and Sinclair have
been having this year — they
can be traced back to last
Christmas), and you have a
pretty bleak picture.
So why hasn't MSX gone the
way of Dragon, Oric and the
others? Why are you reading a
magazine called What MSX?
The answer’s easy. MSX is a
'standard' — and by and large
standards have never had a
smooth start to their lives.
The history of record players
is a good example. You might
imagine that records have al-
ways spun around at 33V3, 45
or 78rpm. They didn't. In the
early decades of this century,
records spun round at whatev-
er speed the manufacturers
thought they could get away
with — much like yesterday's
home computers. The stan-
dard of 78rpm was only settled
on because one brand of
clockwork motor — the most
widely used in those early
record players — spun the disc
at that speed.
MSX is a bit like that, except
that the MSX 'clockwork motor’
is a particular set of chips
arranged in a special kind of
computer architecture. Those
chips, and the way they're
connected, are what make up
the MSX standard.
But why should a 'standard'
be important? Over the last few
years, many different kinds of
computer have sold in large
numbers — and they certainly
haven't been standardised.
A standard may not be impor-
tant to one computer user,
content to sit in front of his TV
playing his millionth game of
Chuckie Egg. As long as his
computer works, and he can
get programs for it — the fact
that it's non-standard doesn't
really matter.
But if our user wants to
exchange programs with a
friend, or to master a program-
ming language that can be
used on lots of machines, or
doesn’t want his machine to
become obsolete when its
manufacturer has financial
problems — then the idea of a
standard is bound to be attrac-
tive.
All of the above is certainly
true, and MSX users can be
grateful that they are part of a
standard. But MSX wasn't born
because some of the world’s
biggest consumer electronic
companies were suddenly fil-
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A. A
J
This autumn sees the release of several ‘enhanced’ MSX micros
Including the Toshiba HX22 and the Spectravldeo X’Press
led with an altruistic desire to
help computer consumers.
MSX was born with the help
of Hong Kong based computer
manufacturer Spectravideo, a
Japanese workaholic called
Kay Nishi (a stalwart of the
Japanese computer software/
publishing house ASCII-Micro-
soft), and the desire of huge
Japanese companies like Mat-
sushita (Panasonic to us),
Sony, JVC, Sanyo and Hitachi
to create products that would
sell in the booming computer
markets of the USA and Britain
— not to mention the restofthe
world.
The idea of a standard was
attractive. In the last 10 or 15
years, the Japanese have
learnt a lot about competing in
Western markets — notably
from the video market, where
quite a few companies have
had their collective fingers
burnt by backing the 'wrong'
technology.
What could be better than an
agreement to make all their
machines compatible? JVC's
disk drives would work with
Sony's computers, and Mat-
sushita’s software (or anybody
else’s) would work on any-
body’s machine.
‘Nigh on a million
machines have been
sold in Japan in the
last two years or so’
Nobody would be taking a
gamble that their technology
would be the one that the
public would go for. The risk
would be greatly reduced. And
so MSX was born. The first
machines saw the light of
Japanese day late in 1983, and
hit the UK market in autumn
1984.
So far, MSX has done well in
Japan. Nigh on a million
machines have been sold there
inthe last two years or so — but
the Japanese market hadn’t
really been exposed to the
Sinclair, Atari, Commodore
and Acorn machines that had
fuelled a boom in Britain.
In a sense, the going was
easy (and remains so) . In other
markets — notably in Europe
— where the computer boom
hasn't yet happened, MSX is
also making its mark. But in
Britain, where the boom had
already gone bang, the going
was definitely a lot tougher
and in the USA, where the
computer market below
machines like the IBM PC has
been chaotic, MSX hasn't yet
been launched.
No easy birth for this stan-
dard, then, in the computer
markets commonly thought to
lead the world — and particu-
larly thought to lead the world
in terms of product innovation.
And innovation seems to be
the name of the game in micros
at the moment. There are all
these 128K memory machines
(which, as they are home
computers, probably only
mea ns that Pete Austi n of Level
Nine, arch adventure writer to
the masses, will be able to
write even bigger adventure
games), plus 16-bit proces-
sors in some, disk drives in
others. All of this is great, if the
machines get any software,
and if the world can find any
real uses for them.
MSX is not all bells and
whistles. At its heart it's ‘tried
and trusted' technology — and
that alone has earned it far
more than its fair share of
criticism from computer pun-
dits who ought to know better
(and who like the Amstrad,
which isn’t much different).
Programmers the world over
can make the MSX processor
(the venerable Z80) jump
through hoops — and on the
best MSX software, it shows.
But the biggest advantage of
being tried and trusted (and
backed by the world’s biggest
consumer electronics com-
panies) is that the makers can
find ‘real’ uses for their
machines.
MSX computers can be ex-
cellent games machines, ex-
cellent business computers,
excellent musical devices, ex-
cellent video devices, even
excellent controllers of micro-
wave ovens. You’ll find exam-
ples of most of these within
this issue of What MSX?
When people start making
hi-fis, video recorders and
videodisc players, not to men-
tion other bits of home hard-
ware that can interface with
computers, the computers
they'l I be designed to work with
will be MSX. That’s the main
reason why there’s a persistent
rumour that IBM is interested
in MSX.
Big Blue, as it’s known to its
friends and enemies, has set
de facto standards in business
computers, but knows full well
that the people who set stan-
dards for ‘home interfacing’
withthings like video recorders
will be the people who make
video recorders. That isn't IBM
— it’s Sony and Matsushita.
And they've standardised on
MSXfortheir home computers.
Standards aren't just impor-
tant for the computer manu-
facturers and the end users.
They’re pretty useful for soft-
ware companies. Instead of
having to write different ver-
sions of every program for
every different machine, they
can write just one, for all MSX
machines in the UK. Those
programs will also work on any
MSX in the world — with only
minor language and video
changes to worry about.
So, for the first time, soft-
ware companies find them-
selveswithatruly international
market — and most of the
software firms who've been
supporting MSX since its arriv-
al in the UK have been happy
(and surprised) by the quantity
of overseas orders they’ve
been getting forthei r products.
(This magazine will be read in
just about every country where
MSX computers are on sale.
Bonjour monde!)
We've a I ready seen that MSX
hasn’t had an easy time in its
first year in Britain, but what
exactly has been going on?
MSX computers have arrived
from Canon, Goldstar, JVC,
Mitsubishi, Network, Panaso-
nic, Sanyo, Sony, Spectra-
video, Toshiba and Yamaha.
You can add Pioneer to that I ist
for this autumn, and com-
panies as big as Philips and
Hitachi are waiting in the
wings.
Most of the above machines
are fairly ‘ordinary’, 64K mem-
ory machines (barring a 32K
model from Mitsubishi), with
the most honourable excep-
tion of Yamaha’s 32KCX5M.
Yamaha, of motorbikes,
musical instruments and hi-fi
fame, has produced a £500
MSX computer which incorpo-
rates a full FM (frequency
modulated) synthesiser. Nik
Kershaw reviewed it for our
sister magazine MSX Comput-
ing last autumn, and rated itas
good as synthesisers costing
twice as much. For musicians
who want a computer, or com-
puter buffs who want a synth-
esiser, it's a brilliant com-
promise. Chuckie Egg and
Bach!
This autumn, there’s a lot of
action in store. Toshiba has a
machine with built-in word
processor and RS232 com-
munications port. Spectra-
video's new model has a built-
in disk drive that makes it
stunning value for money.
Pioneer, making its first
foray into the UK computer
market, has an MSX machine
with full video overlay capabil-
ity. What's more, if you plugthe
Pioneer into one of the com-
pany’s laserdisc players, you
can have 'interactive' video
games, where the laser disc
supplies extremely detailed
backgrounds whilethe compu-
ter overlays graphics and con-
trols the game. Just like the
best arcade stuff, especially if
you shove the sound output
through your hi-fi !
You can add to that lot a host
of peripherals like disk drives,
graphics pads, MIDI (musical
instrument) interfaces and
printers (many of which are
reviewed in these pages), and
a continuing growth in quality
software.
You’ll find a full list of
available software at the back
of this issue, as well as our pick
of the best stuff around, but
you can rest assured that
whatever your requirements,
there'll be something for you.
In fact, with more disk drives
becoming available (and at
realistic prices), the possibili-
ties fa serious business soft-
ware are dramatically im-
proved.
The MSX disk operating sys-
tem (MSX-DOS) is very similar
to one of the standard busi-
ness operating systems, CP/M,
which opens the door to literal-
ly hundreds, if not thousands,
of ‘real’ business programs.
These should start to appear
towards the end of this year
and throughout 1986. (This
article was written on a disk-
based MSX word processing
program from Holland.)
‘During early ’86 we
should see t he first
of a ‘new generation’
of MSX computers'
During early ’86 we should
also begin to see the first of a
‘new generation’ of MSX com-
puters, clearly designed with
small business users in mind,
but also capable of some fairly
stunning things.
Dubbed MSX II, but perhaps
best called MSX Plus, these
computers will be fully com-
patible with existing
machines, capable of running
all their software, but with
some interesting additions.
These are mainly to do with the
graphics the machines can
display — which will rival some
of the ’trendy’ machines. It may
be possible to upgrade ex-
isting MSX machines by a
plug-in cartridge.
The main use that this im-
Nlk Kershaw on Yamaha's CX5M combined computer and music synthesizer: Tor £600 It’s amazing!’
proved graphics capability will
be put to in the early days will
be the handling of TV and video
images, though pretty amaz-
inggameswill be possible too.
In the medium term it offers
the possibility of the so-called
WIMP environment (window-
icon-mouse — sort of electro-
nic desktop on screen), and
some way beyond that there
may even be 16 and 32 bit
versions of MSX, using proces-
sors much more powerful than
the 8-bit Z80 inside current
machines.
By then there’s a very d isti net
possibility that MSX standard
computers will be cropping up
inside all sorts of home ap-
pliances — from microwave
ovens to telephones, video
recorders and hi-fi systems.
You then have the prospect of
a 1 1 these thi ngs ta Iking to each
other and operating under cen-
tral control. You could, for
instance, notice the snow fall-
i ng outside your office wi ndow,
and then ring home to tell your
central heating to wind itself
up a few degrees. Or you could
be ringing home to tell the
video recorder to record Dal-
lasty, and the microwave to
have a steaming plate of
lasagne ready when you get
back.
It might sound far fetched,
but the possibility is already
being realised in some areas,
and if it’s ever to become a
commercial reality, it will be
MSX that’s atthe heart of it all.
Buying an MSX computer
nowisnotjustrecognisingthat
you’re getting value for money
with a tried and tested system,
it’s also getting yourself ready
for the home of the future
where computers have
real uses. IH
MSX SPECIFICATION
The heart of MSX is its
specification, which you’ll
find listed below. It’s worth
pointing out that this is a
minimum specification. All
MSX machines meet this
spec, but most go beyond it in
significant areas — either
extra memory, or extra built-
in program storage (ROM, as
opposed to RAM, or read-
only memory as opposed to
random access memory ) .
For example, all the UK
MSX machines have a mini-
mum of 32Kof RAM, whereas
the spec only asks for 8K.
Other machines, like the
Sony or the new Toshiba,
have extra programs built-in
— In Toshiba’s case a nifty
little word processor. Pion-
eer’s machine has an ex-
tended BASIC, called P-
BASIC, which allows the user
to control the machine’s
video capabilities from
BASIC programs.
Central processor: Zilog
Z80A or equivalent, working
at a ‘clock speed’ of
3.579545 MHz.
Memory: 32K MSX system
software (includes BASIC) in
ROM, 8K RAM. Both extend-
able — RAMupto 64x64K(in
‘pages’).
Video display processor:
Texas Instruments 9929A or
equivalent.
Display modes: High resolu-
tion — 256 x 192 pixels. Text
40 characters in 24 lines. 16
colours maximum. 32 prog-
rammable sprites.
Sound generator: General In-
struments AY-3-8910 gives
three independent channels
and 8 octave range. Controll-
able from BASIC (Music Mac-
ro Language).
Cassette Interface: Frequen-
cy shift keying modulation at
1200 or 2400 baud (bits per
second).
Character sets: Alpha-
numeric, European, graphic.
Keyboard: 73 keys minimum
Expansion slots: Minimum of
one cartridge port and expan-
sion bus.
Joystick: Minimum one sock-
et, ‘Atari’ compatible (all UK
machines have two) .
System clock: battery backed
CMOS.
Communications interface:
RS232. Only the Toshiba
HX-22 and Spectravideo
X’ Press have this fitted on-
board atthe moment, though
RS232 cartridges are avail-
able.
Printer Interface: Centronics
parallel port — one of the
industry standards.
Programmable peripheral In-
terface (PPI): Intel i-8255.
This chip controls the input
and output to cassette recor-
ders and disk drives — the
way the machine talks to the
world.
13
You have to talk to your computer in its
own language. But micros speak more
than one tongue, explains Tim Markes
I t will not have escaped your
notice that MSX computers
have BASIC included In the
package. If you are relatively
new to computers, you might
Just ask yourself a couple of
pertinent questions. What is
this BASIC thing and why do I
need It?
Wei I let's face it, many home
computer users do not need
BASIC and may never use it.
These are punters whose sole
computer activity consists of
loadingand running, from tape
or disk, software which has
been written by someone else.
For many MSX owners,
though, the temptation to ‘cre-
ate an intelligent machine’
themselves proves irresisti-
ble. To achieve this, we need to
get a sequence of logical
instructions (a program!) into
the computer. We must tel I our
micro about this program in a
language which it will under-
stand. The process will be less
painful if we can also under-
standthe languagequicklyand
easily ourselves.
The MSX computer is based
on the Z80 microprocessor,
one of the most popular chips
for 8 bit home computers. The
Sinclair Spectrum, and the
Amstrad are also designed
around the Z80, for example.
The type of processor is
important. Some programs are
inevitably time orspacecritical
— fast moving graphics, com-
munications, even MIDI music
sequencers are typical.
For efficiency, these prog-
rams (or the key routines, at
least) must be in machine code
— which is specific to the
processor and not the easiest
language to grasp for a begin-
ner. For a clear explanation of
machine code and the match-
ing assembly language, see
the series in MSX Computing
by Adam Denning from the
February '85 issue.
Programming in machine
code involves an understand-
ing of strange things like bits,
bytes, (nybbles would you be-
lieve), registers, binary, hex-
adecimal, stacks, flags, parity/
overlow and an awful lot of
numbers. In practice you would
use an assembler which allows
you to employ short alphabetic
mnemonicsand labels instead
of meaningless hexadecimal
numbers.
Disassemblers look at
‘For many MSX owners
the temptation to
create an intelligent
machine themselves
proves irresistible’
machine code and translate it
back into assembly language
— useful for investigating the
contents of programmed chips
(ROMs) legally or otherwise.
Kuma and Hisoft both market
assembler and disassembler
packages for MSX. If you want
to program in a more friendly
language without shouldering
this burden, however, read on!
Beginners All-purpose Sym-
bolic Instruction Code (BASIC)
is your saviour. To give you an
immediate flavour of the lan-
guage, it contains many such
friendly BASIC keywords as:
INPUT, PRINT, READ, DATA
Even its decision making in-
structions are easy to under-
stand — for example:
IF N1>N2 THEN GOTO 150
ELSE PRINT N2
Just as COBOL (COmmon Busi-
ness Orientated Language,
1959) remains the standard
programming language for
large mainframe computers in
the business world, so BASIC is
now the most commonly
offered and used programming
language for micros.
MSX micros are supplied
with a BASIC interpreter per-
manently resident in ROM
(Read Only Memory). Whenev-
er the computer is switched on,
therefore, it is immediately
ready to interpret any BASIC
programming instructions you
type in. Your statements must
be clear and unambiguous if
you expect to be understood
and you will find that a ‘gram-
matical’ mistake is abruptly
rejected as a Syntax error.
Anything more polite and in-
formative than this would take
up more memory space and
leave you less room for your
own (or bought-in) programs.
The popular micros are not
all based on the same microp-
rocessor, buttheydo share this
common BASIC programming
language. Does this mean that
any program written in BASIC
will run without alteration on
any micro which includes a
BASIC interpreter? Well unfor-
tunately not, asyou might have
guessed .
Each manufacturer has its
own dialect of BASIC. With a
very powerful 'computer' sit-
ting on our shoulders, it is not
difficult for us humans, with a
little experience, to under-
stand any of these BASIC
dialects (Spectrum, Amstrad,
MSX etc). The humble micro-
processor, on the other hand,
can only understand the di-
alect of BASIC expected by its
BASIC interpreter resident in
its ROM.
The unique advantage of
MSX BASIC is that, for the first
time, a number of different
manufacturers (Sony, JVC,
Toshiba et al) and the owner of
the copyright (Microsoft) have
agreed a dialect of BASIC to be
issued on all of the manufac-
‘You could try
swapping computers
for a week and make
up your own mind
about MSX BASIC’
turers' MSX machines.
This means that an MSX
BASIC (or machine code) prog-
ram will run on an MSX compu-
ter of any manufacture, where-
as Sinclair Spectrum owners
cannot run their (Z80 based)
BASIC or machine code prog-
rams on a (Z80 based) Am-
stra d !
BASIC in whatever dialect is
nevertheless a universal micro
language which brings con-
siderable benefits. An ideal
introduction is the series in
MSX Computing (back issues
available); butyou can also get
a lot of interest and ideas from
reading books which support
computers other than MSX.
Look out also for articles or
magazine series which specifi-
cally deal with the (minor)
BASIC conversion problems
between machines.
You could try swapping com-
puters with a friend for a week
and make up your own mind
about how MSX BASIC com-
pares with other versions.
If you want to upgrade to a
more powerful and sohisti-
cated machine — perhapsfora
small business, the odds are
that it will be supplied with
BASIC — a facility you will
recognise immediately.
It would be great to say that
MSX BASIC is the best of the
various versions used on popu-
lar micros — but we won't be
tempted ! It's not easy to make
a simple judgement of that
kind when it comes to BASIC —
and many other computing
options for that matter. The
main reason is that every
facility has a cost; frequently
this is in terms of space or time
(rather than money).
BBC BASIC has long been
regarded as the most compre-
hensive BASIC on the home
computer market today. Yet
the MSX implementation,
while very different, has
attracted equally ardent sup-
porters. Each has different
strengths, and for the average
home user MSX BASIC is prob-
15
ably superior because of its
strong sound and graphics
commands. At the other end of
the scale, the Commodore 64
version could perhaps be de-
scribed as McEnroe BASIC —
uncivilised and a pain in the
backside?
Both the BBC and the Am-
strad permit long names for
variables (memory locations),
which make programseasierto
understand on first reading.
On the other hand, multi-
character names use up more
valuable memory space and
take more time to type. Most
programmers would in practice
use the long name facility only
rarely and the two character
variety used on MSX is quite
sufficient. You can use long
names with MSX BASIC, but
only the f i rst two characters are
treated as being significant.
BBC BASIC alone imple-
ments procedures, which posi-
tively encourage well struc-
tured programs. However, you
can certainly achieve this us-
ing the simple GOSUB (sub-
routine) system used on the
MSX and most other micros.
MSX micros also have excel-
lent BASIC editing facilities
and many helpful tricks like
automatic and revised line
numbering which are not al-
ways available. Graphics and
sound handling (areas where
you will find the most diverg-
ence between different non-
MSX manufacturers) are also
well supported. Who would not
be reassured to see the
keywords SCREEN, COLOR,
DRAW, LINE, CIRCLE, PLAY in
their manual?
‘MSX micros also have
excellent BASIC
editing facilities
and many h elpful
tricks available’
But all this talk about BASIC
obscures one importantfact —
computers are essential ly data
crunchers, and don’t really
mind what language they're
speaking. And other lan-
guages are available.
By this time you’re probably
asking how BASIC compares
with other languages and are
they avai lable on MSX? In fact,
compared with the others,
BASIC is quite youthful — the
first implementation being in
1965 (Kurtz and Kereny).
BASIC was a much simplified
and anglicised version of the
first major high level machine
independent language FOR-
TRAN (FORmula TRANslater)
developed in the late 50s
mainly for scientific and en-
gineering applications.
After many refinements, Bill
Gates and Paul Allan wrote a
BASIC for the first micro, the
MITS Altair (based on the Intel
8080) in the mid-70s. This led
to Microsoft and the Microsoft
corporation headed by the still
youthful Mr Gates.
FORTRAN requires much
more memory space than
BASIC — typically 64K RAM
plus two floppy disk drives —
too much for the average micro
configuration. Another major
difference is that, whereas a
complete FORTRAN program
must be compiled into
machine language before it
can be run, BASIC is inter-
preted line by line. The latter
leads to simple ‘interactive’
programming and, just as im-
portant, fast debugging (cor-
recting faults).
PASCAL was derived by N i ko-
laus Wirth (1970) from the
hierarchically structured
ALGOL 60 (1960) and named
after the French mathemati-
cian Blaise Pascal. It is a
procedure orientated lan-
guage which supports well
designed, carefully structured
programming.
Goforth
At one time PASCAL seemed
destined to be the favourite
microcomputer language of
the eighties, but this seems
more doubtful now. There are
versions available for most of
the leading micros including
business machines. Hisofthas
produced PASCAL for MSX at
£29.95.
FORTH was originally written
(Charles Moore — 1960) to
control an observatory. It is a
very individual language (in
every way) and its fans are very
enthusiastic! Here there are
only a small number of prede-
fined keywords — known as
primitives. You make up the
rest of the language as you
program (no kidding) in terms
of these primitives.
FORTH can be used interac-
tively like BASIC (unlike PAS-
CAL) and the resulting code is
reputedly fast enough to be
suitable for arcade games.
‘Computers are
essentially data
crunchers and don’t
mind what language
they’re speaking’
Understanding someone
else's program (or even your
own), however, can be a major
problem. Again there are ver-
sions of FORTH for most micros
including Z80 based models
and Kuma FORTH is available
for MSX now.
Perhaps the easiest lan-
guage name to remember is C,
developed (in 1978) at Bell
Laboratories to write the UNIX
operating system .Cal lows the
programmer close access to
the hardware features, but has
high-level elements — and is
portable between machines. It
has fanatical support (or
opposition) and is mainly used
for writing other systems soft-
ware (compilers/operating
systems). A version of C for
MSX is due out from Hisoft later
in the year.
LOGO (1960 — Seymour
Papert at MIT) is most well
known for turtle graphics and
the education field. Most repu-
table implementations should
also include list processing
inspired by LISP (1958 —
McCarthy).
The process of directing the
progress (North South East
West etc) by program of an
imaginary turtle, with its pen
(tail?) on or off the screen,
helps the ‘child-centred learn-
ing’ of geometry, maths — and
computer programming.
Advocates of LOGO in
schools, such as Boris Allan,
are currently arguing its rela-
tive merits with COMALsuppor-
ters. But LOGO undoubtedly
has both a distinguished past
and a firm future . A wide variety
of implementations are avail-
able covering most micros and
a LOGO for MSX is mark-
eted by Kuma.
16
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PHILIPS
A
PIONEER PX-7 £300
Y ou’ve heard about the
MSX concept — where
the micro is just the cen-
tre of a wide ranging system.
Now it looks like it might
actually happen, with
Pioneer’s new micro, the PX-7.
Pioneer isn’t just offering a
standard MSX computer, but a
complete home entertainment
system incorporating sound,
vision and computer control.
For £300 you are not only
gettinga fully fledged personal
computer that’s brimming with
potential but a specialised
system with three very unique
capabilities.
One is the function that
permits superimposition of
text and video images by
means of Pioneer’s own spe-
cialised video BASIC — P-
BASIC. This supplements stan-
dard MSX BASIC which is also
present.
The second capability is a
built-in interface for a laser
disc player, for creating and
playing high quality interactive
video games. And the third is a
stereo sound generator.
The catch is that in order to
make use of all these functions
you’re going to have to part
with a lot more than £300, and
buy a laser disc player,
leer is
not just a computer,
it is also the c
of an exciting
home entertainment
system.
graphics tablet and a hi-fi —
but more of that later.
What about the actual mic-
ro? And what makes it stand
apart from all the rest? Well
you only have to look at the
PX-7 to see that it’s in a class of
its own. It comes in two units, a
keyboard and a main computer
unit which houses the CPU,
P-BASIC, MSX BASIC and user
memory.
The keyboard is an en-
hanced version of the standard
kind of MSX keyboard, and is
attached to the main computer
unit by a cable ending in a
13-pin DIN plug. It is housed in
a matt black plastic casingand
looks very sophisticated.
The function keys are laid
across the top and the CLS/
HOME, INS and DEL keys are on
the right hand side, im-
mediately above the four cur-
sor control keys.
The colouring of the key
symbols is subtle, giving a very
neat and professional appear-
ance. The function numbers
are set into violet strips, and
many of the other key symbols
useasimilarmode.Mostofthe
letters and numbers, however,
are in white, while the keys
themselves are black.
Apart from the colour and
hi-tech appearance of the PX-
7’s keyboard, the only differ-
ence between this and the
others is the presence of three
extra function keys, im-
mediately to the left of the ESC,
TAB and CTRL keys. These
three ‘special’ keys are for
selecting SUPERIMPOSE,
VIDEO or COMPUTER.
The keys themselves are
reasonably firm to the touch
and are of the kind of quality
normally associated with ex-
pensive business machines,
like the IBM PC. We were very
impressed with the keyboard.
It not only looks very profes-
sional but is very professional,
and ideal for word processing
or keying in lots of data.
Pioneer’s CPU has an abundance of Interfaces
The CPU features a red reset and vldeo/audlo switches
Create and animate graphics with Pioneer’s £90 Video Art Tablet
And as the keyboard is sepa-
rate from the main unit you can
easily lounge back comfort-
ably in an armchair and type.
Another plus is that if you’re
games playing you can detach
the keyboard altogether and
just use joysticks plugged
directly into the CPU unit.
The main computer unit is
protected in a black metal
casing and is littered with
i nterf aces and contro Ison both
the front and rear panels.
Again, as the base unit is
separate itcaneasilybe instal-
led in an audio rack or on top of
a video/laser disc player.
On the front panel, ranging
from left to right, are: a power
indicator and ON/OFF switch;
the keyboard connector; a
video/audio switch; two joys-
tick ports; headphone socket;
slidingvolumeandmixingcon-
trols; reset button; and a
cartridge slot with a protective
hinged flap.
On either side of the unit are
speakers (for use in conjunc-
tion with interactive video
units) and on the top is a
ventilation grille to allow air to
circulate freely and minimize
the heat build-up produced
during prolonged use.
Moving over to the rear
panel, there’san abundance of
facilities. There are interfaces
for audio i nput/output (stereo) ,
video input/output, channel
adjustment, RF and RGB out-
puts, system control connec-
tors for laser disc players, a
cassette/data recorder con-
nector, a second cartridge
port with a pull-off protective
cover and a parallel printer
connector.
The PX-7 is just a
nucleus — it Is up
to you to expand
the system
to meet your own
requirements’
The base unit as a whole is
made of a black metal casing
but the front and rear panels
are of black plastic with a si Iver
Pioneer logo. As the unit is
separate from the keyboard it
can easily be installed in an
audio rack, or on top of a video
disc player.
Like the keyboard the base
unit is well designed with a
high-tech finish looking re-
markably like an audio ampli-
fier. And we liked the position
of the joystick ports in easy
reach on the front — it’s a pity
other manufacturers don’t put
their ports in such a sensible
position.
Surprisingly, the PX-7 is not
a64Kmachine. lthas32KRAM
Component display unit
T V set
l i
Colour monitor
RGB display unit
Printer
Video camera
RGBpack
Laser disc players
Headphones
Disc drive
The computer Is part of a wide-ranging home entertainment system
plus 16K video RAM, and 40K
ROM (8Kof P-BASICand 32Kof
MSX BASIC). But don’t get
alarmed — when you’re using
BASIC the PX-7 sti 1 1 has 28K of
user RAM available just like a
standard 64K machine.
The only time you’re likely to
notice the lack of memory is
when you try to write or use a
machine code program that’s
more than 32K, other than that
it won’t hamper your comput-
ing activities. But if it does
Pioneer is also launching a
32KRAM pack. By slotting this
into the back of the PX-7 (into
the expansion slot) you can
write or run any 64K software.
As we said before, Pioneer’s
micro isthefirstMSXcomputer
on the market to have its own
specialised BASIC. It isn’t
different to MSX BASIC, it just
extends its facilities and pro-
vides more power so that you
can control the PX-7’s super-
impose, system control and
stereo control functions.
In order to use P-BASIC all
you have to do is wait for the
screen to appear with the two
options, MSX BASIC and P-
BASIC, and select the one you
require. And to use the ex-
tended P-BASIC statements
just simply place the keyword
CALL before the statement to
be used. All this is explained in
the manual and you should
have little difficulty.
Of course P-BASIC isn’t
going to be of much use if
you’re just going to use the
PX-7 for playing games and
writing standard programs.
Pioneer’s new baby is a
complete home leisure sys-
tem. The only way to exploitthe
full potential of the machine is
to dig deep into your pocket
and buy some of the extra
peripherals like a laser disc
player, a floppy disk drive or a
hi-fi.
The PX-7 is just the nucleus
— it is up to you to expand the
system to meet your own
requirements.
For example you could start
offbybuyinga laserdisc player
(Pioneer’s LD-700 laser disc
unit will set you back around
£500). Laser discs have great
potential for both interactive
education and video games.
Not only do they offer realis-
tic video images and audio
reproduction, but the actual
discs are capable of storing
vast amounts of information
and providing quick random
access to any part.
In Japan, laser discs are
already a big hit in home
entertainment because by us-
ing them you can fast forward,
freeze, slow down, reverse or
call up a particular frame all via
the computer.
And that’s not all. By using
the graphics that you’ve ere-
AA
4
LIKES
P-BASjC
Sophisticated add-ons
Styjish design
Separate keyboard
ated you can superimpose
them over a sequence of
frames from the disc or you can
superi mpose your own titles on
the screen.
Unfortunately laser disc
software hasn't arrived here
yet. But you can have just as
much fun with a graphics
tablet. Pioneer calls its model
the Video Art Tablet. It costs
£90, and comes with car-
tridge-based control software.
We borrowed one of these
with the PX-7 and had great fun
experimenting with it. The de-
vice consists of a flat pad a nd a
touch pen. In fact, it's very
similar to British Micro’s
Grafpad.
Animation
The tablet is a very versatile
peripheral. It provides you with
all the standard picture draw-
ingfac i I ities we're used to from
devices I ike the Sony lightpen.
These include straight lines,
circles, erase, change colour
and change background col-
our. Andyou can f i 1 1 a shape i n a
different colour — a facility
that's not included with the
lightpen.
The whole product is very
simple to use. Youjust pick out
the colours and shapes you
require on the pad and draw.
There is also an animation
mode. This allows you to de-
scribe bymovingthe pen on the
graphics tablet the way you’d
like the graphics you’ve just
created to move around the
screen. You can make a test
run to make sure that it's okay,
then save or superimpose it on
laser disc based footage.
A maximum of eight sprites
can be animated in this way.
We drew butterflies and dogs
and had great fun watching
them flutter and hop across the
DISLIKES
Limitations of 32K
Price
Laser or video discs hold great potential for Interactive entertainment. This unit will cost you around £500
screen.
As an ordinary MSX compu-
ter, the PX-7 is very impressive
and is definitely much more up
market than a Goldstar, Sanyo
or Sony, but then it's aimed at a
different market. Just as the
Yamaha is aimed primarily at
the budding musician, the
Pioneer is aimed first and
foremost at the consumer
whose main interest is in home
entertainment, particularly
video. You don’t have to be a
computer freak to buy and
enjoy a PX-7.
Pioneer really has done the
MSX concept proud. Not only
has it produced a high quality
micro but a range of equally
sophisticated accessories
that add u p to a f u II y i ntegrated
entertainment system.
We recall that, at the launch
of MSX, most of the manufac-
turers claimed that they were
working towards such a sys-
tem. But to date only Pioneer
has made those claims a
reality. It remains to be seen
whether the rest will follow
suit.
Verdict
Pioneer plans to release the
PX-7 early In September so If
you’re on the verge of buying an
MSX take a tip from us — nip
down to your local dealer and
take a good look.
At £300 It isn’t cheap, parti-
cularly when many of the other
MSX models are being sold
with substantial price reduc-
tions.
But we reckon that the PX-7
is In a league of its own. There
is no other machine currently
on the market to match Its
versatility and expandability.
The PX-7 is what MSX is all
about, and It has been jmm
well worth the wait. H
PIONEER PX-7 £300
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU
8-bit Z80A (3.58 MHz
clock)
RESET
Ves
DIMENSIONS
MEMORY
KEYBOARD
420x171x47.5mm
RAM
32K
COMPUTER
420x323.5x79mm
ROM
40K (32 MSX BASIC,
8K P-BASIC)
MAIN UNIT
WEIGHT
(WxDxH)
VIDEO RAM
16K
980g
KEYBOARD
KEYBOARD
COMPUTER
4.4Kg
TYPE
Full travel
MAIN UNIT
KEYS
48 Alphanumeric 28
control keys keypad
POWER SUPPLY
cursor control
internal, captive mams
lead
VIDEO DISPLAY
FINISH
TEXT
Screen 0: 40x24
Black plastic casing
GRAPHICS
Screen 1: 32x24
SOFTWARE INCLUDED
Maximum resolution
256x192 pixels
None
COLOURS
16
SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES
SPRITES
256
RF cable
OUTPUT
PAL, RGB, TV
Instruction manual
BASIC reference
SOUND
GENERATOR
3 channels with 8
manual
P-BASIC manual
octave range
DISTRIBUTOR
OUTPUTS
Internal speakers
Pioneer High Fidelity
(stereo)
116 Field Way,
Headphones (stereo)
Greenford
Line output (stereo)
150mV/10k0hm
Middlesex UB6 8U2
ACCESSORIES
INTERFACES
LD-700 laser disk
JOYSTICKS
2 ports
player £500
CARTRIDGE
2
PXJY8 joystick £10
PORTS
PXTB7 graphics tablet
£90
PRINTER
1 x Centron ics
PX-RA32D RAM pack
CASSETTE
8-pin DIN
£50
- —
21
Whether it’s music, art,
business or video games,
MSX has the answer
O h yes, having a compu-
ter’s all very well, but
what do you actually do
with It? We’ve all heard that cry
from people who, Instead of
being computer literate are
simply computer puzzled.
But it’s sti 1 1 a good question,
and one that’s easier to answer
with MSX m icros than any other
system. That’s because MSX
computers don't just sit there
and hum, nor do they just play
superb games (although they
can do that, of course).
Elsewhere in this issue you
can read about plans for MSX
micros to control microwave
ovens and central heating sys-
tems. But even though those
applications are still someway
off, there are plenty of useful
things you can do with your
computer now. So let’s look at
some of the hardware and
software packages that can
turn your micro into a musical
instrument, artist’s canvas or
business tool.
We'll start with the business
area, because that is,
perhaps, of interest to most
people. Almost everyone can
make use of a word processor,
or database program.
In fact, comparatively little
decent business software has
come our way so far. This could
have a lotto do with the scarcity
of disk drives. At the time of
writing, only one drive, the
Sony, is freely available, and
that’s at a rather high price.
Business programs, or the
f i les they use, real ly need to be
on disk, as you're often swap-
ping between files and prog-
rams. One company, Com-
putermates, has solved this
problem by putting all of its
programs on cartridge.
One of the advantages of
this is that the programs run
instantly. For the files, howev-
er, both disks or cassettes can
be used depending on what you
have at the time (you can even
swap files between the two).
The company makes a wide
range of sensible software,
with all the titles built around a
common format. So if you’ve
used one you can easi ly use the
others.
Computermates has also
adopted a kind of modular
approach to its software,
where programs, available
separately, are also combined
into packages. For example,
the Word Processor and Cards
database programs have been
put together to form Mailshot.
With this, text from the word
processor can be appended to
names and addresses con-
tained in the database.
The Cards program is parti-
cularly good, due to its free-
form text and rapid search
facility. With the word proces-
sor it could easily form the
heart of any business outfit.
However, there is one more
package containing both these
programs, and that's Comms
Plus. This has the added facil-
ity of sophisticated com-
munications software (for link-
ing up with other computers)
and an RS232C serial port built
into the cartridge.
At around £200 it’s not the
cheapest piece of software
around, but it does represent
excellent value for money,
especially as new versions will
contain full colour graphics for
use with viewdata systems like
Prestel.
Other titles from Computer-
mates worth adding to your
business collection are
Spreadsheet and Cash
Accounts. These individual
programs cost around £40
each, so setting up a business
system isn't goi ng to be cheap.
22
For youngsters and adults alike, MSX provides a wide range of
possibilities, Including games playing, accounts, graphics, word
processing, music, filing and much more besides
But there’s a lot to be said for
getting all your software from
one supplier — using the
computer is much easier if all
the programs work i n the same
way.
If that's not so important to
you, it’s worth looking at the
Kuma spreadsheet, although
it’s only available on cassette
at the moment. Hopefully a
disk version will become avail-
able at a later date.
One program already on disk
is Aackotext — undoubtedly
one of the best MSX word
processors around. Although
the Computermates program
is ideal for short pieces of text
such as memos, and superb as
a text editor for the Mailshot
and communications pack-
ages, it’s not as good as
Aackotext for longer pieces.
Again, you'll have to fork out
around £40 for the program,
but it's worth it if you write long
letters, reports or medium size
articles.
The chances are that if
you’re using a word processor,
spreadsheet, or similar type of
program, you're goingto spend
long periods of time staring at
characters on the screen.
To stop yourself looking like
some kind of blind bug-eyed
monster, think carefully about
gettinga monitor. Elsewhere in
this magazine some advice on
choosing monitors is given.
But, in brief, for business use,
an amber or green screen
monochrome monitor is best.
The Philips’ modelsare ideal
as they have a f aci I ity to move
the screen image sideways.
This stops you losing the first
character of each line which
can occasionally happen with
MSX micros and some moni-
tors or TVs.
One particularly useful
monitor is the new Philips
CM8524. This is a colour
version, with simple phono
inputs for sound and vision —
exactly the same as the com-
posite video outputs on most
MSX micros.
It also has RGB inputs,
although, if you have a micro
with RGB output you'll have to
check that it’s a compatible
signal. Switching between
RGB and composite modes is a
simple matter of pressing a
button.
Another button converts the
colour CM8524 to a green
screen monochrome monitor
— equally useful for business
applications and games. At
around £265 it's a good all-
purpose VDU, although if you
eventually use a micro with an
80 column screen (which the
next generation of MSX
machines should have) you’re
going to need something with
higher resolution.
Believe it or not, you'll also
need a computer. At first sight
there might seem to be little to
choose between the current
models, but that's not quite
true.
If you're going to be doing a
lot of word processing, you'll
need a micro with a good
23
Data recorders come In all shapes and sizes. Here’s JVC’s at £89 and Sanyo’s at £30
A printer Is essential for business users — here's Canon’s F-60 thermal dot matrix model
quality keyboard. The Mitsu-
bishi, JVC and Sony models
spring to mind. But if you're
into number crunching,
perhaps with a spreadsheet,
then the Spectravideo SVI-
728’s numerical keypad will
come in extremely handy.
As far as imminent
machines are concerned, the
sleek Toshiba HX-22 has a
built-in word processing prog-
ram, saving you the trouble of
buying one. And Spectra-
video’s X’Press has a built-in
disk drive — an even bigger
bonus.
Although a disk drive is
almost essential for business
work, a printer is an even
bigger must. It’s no good
having reams of figures for
your accountant, or a Pulitzer
Prize-winning article for your
friendly neighbourhood editor,
if they have to trek rou nd to your
house to see them.
Naturally, an MSX-compati-
ble printer is ideal, as it allows
you to use all those lovely
graphics characters. But for
practically all business ap-
plications a standard daisy
wheel or dot matrix printer is
fine — the former for neat
letters and manuscripts, the
latter f or v i rtu a 1 1 y everyt h in g —
but at a slightly reduced
quality.
So the whole business pack-
age includes the micro, a
monochrome monitor, printer,
software and, preferably, a
disk drive. If you can’t afford
the disk unit, then you’ll need a
data recorder. You should be
able to collect the set for well
under £1000, which is pretty
reasonable in business terms.
‘On a lighter note
MSX micros are just as
good at handling tunes
as they are at handling
your bank balance’
On a rather lighter note, MSX
micros are just as good at
handling tunes as they are at
handling your bank balance.
That's been obvious right from
the beginning with the inclu-
sion of Yamaha's 32K CX5M
amongst the first machines.
The Yamaha is being sold
mainly as a music micro,
complete with a choice of
instrument keyboards, and a
built-in MIDI interface.
The latter is important.
Some time ago Yahama was
one of a group of companies
that laid down a standard for
electronic interfaces between
musical instruments.
The result was MIDI (Musical
Instrument Digital Interface)
and theoretically, any MIDI
equipped instrument can be
linked to any other. That’s
useful if you want to link up
drum synthesizers, keyboards,
sequencers and so on. It's
irrelevant if you only ever use
the keyboard on its own.
However, the Yamaha has
other tricks up its sleeve. One
is stereo output for feeding the
music through an amplifier.
And there’s the facility to link
the machine to Yamaha’s DX-7
professional synthesizer, to
simplify its programming —
with the appropriate software,
of course.
As well as a program to
control the DX-7, Yamaha also
produces rather nifty voice
programming and composing
software packs. And they’re all
on cartridge to make life
easier.
The sound of the CX5M is
produced by an FM synthesizer
unit, unique to Yamaha. This
gives an almost unlimited vari-
ety of crysta I clear sounds, and
is what has made the com-
pany’s professional electronic
instruments so successful.
You won't get that on any
other micro, but you can add a
MIDI interface to standard MSX
computers. Electromusic Re-
search (EMR) is a company
which produces MIDI inter-
faces for a range of home
computers, MSX micros being
the latest in the line.
Along with the interface the
company also produces soft-
ware modules to allow a wide
range of musical manipula-
tion. Facilities include real
time digital recording, com-
posing (the musical equivalent
of a word processor), sheet
music printout and editing of
compositions.
MIDI
The software modules
should cost between £15 and
£50, with the interface itself
costing about £90. You then
have to plug a MIDI compatible
keyboard into your computer.
So the whole package doesn’t
come cheap, but it is a very
sophisticated tool for the dedi-
cated electronic musician.
Sanyo has developed a range of add-ons Including monitors, joysticks and light pens
More disk drives are appearing for MSX users Aakotext — one of the best MSX word processors
For those who prefer to
dabble, at rather less expense,
Rittor Music produces a couple
of interesting programs which
exploit the micro’s own sound
chip.
Musiwriter comes in car-
tridge form, and its main
purpose is to allow you to write
and edit music, including
chords (something that’s
rather difficult with the Yama-
ha software.)
The notes appear on the
screen, arranged on the famil-
iar stave which can be scrolled
backwards and forwards. The
music can be played back at
any time, saved to tape or
printed out.
Odyssey-K, which is casset-
te based, actually turns the
computer into a keyboard —
albeit a fairly primitive one —
and allows simple composing
with a RECord mode. You play
the tune and the computer
plays it back to you.
These two programs are
more useful for learning about
music than playing it. And you
could usefully employ them to
teach it too. For really serious
musical endeavours, the EMR
package or the Yamaha micro
are preferable.
Should your talents lie in the
visual, rather than the audible
arts, you're also well provided
for with MSX. You won’t find
anything yet that can compete
with professional computer
graphics systems (in the way
that MSX music packages can
compete with professional
systems). But there are plenty
of products to make designing
easy and enjoyable.
The first of these to appear
was the Sanyo lightpen, and
it’s still one of the easiest to
use. The pen itself contains a
light sensor and, with the
relevant software (supplied on
cartridge) can work out where
on the screen the pen is being
held.
The software also contains a
full range of drawing utilities,
including different line thick-
nesses, fill routines, circle and
rectangle drawing as well as
the ability to save pictures to
tape for later reloading.
British Micro’s Grafpad com-
es with similar, if simpler,
software, this time on tape.
The Grafpad is a graphics
tablet — a kind of electronic
doodle pad which you draw on
with a stylus, itself connected
to the pad.
Pioneer has adopted a simi-
larapproach witha tabletfor its
PX-7 micro. In fact, it’s part of
the complete video package,
and the tablet is intended
mainly for controlling video
and computer graphics im-
ages. But with suitable soft-
ware (available on cartridge) it
can be used as an all-purpose
graphics designer, with the
added bonus of being able to
design sprites and then ani-
mate them, cartoon-fashion.
‘The Tracker Ball takes
a lot of beating,
particularly when it
comes to quality of
manufacture’
A more unusual graphics
device is the Marconi tracker
ball. As it sounds, this features
a free moving ball set into a
panel. Rolling the ball moves
the cursor around on screen.
It's not only simple, it's
actually fun to use. It will work
as a highly sophisticated joy-
stick (Konami’s Tennis is esp-
ecially good with it) or can be
used with the supplied soft-
ware like the other graphics
systems.
What you actually intend to
do with these devices deter-
mines which is most suitable
for you. If, for example, your
interest is in video production,
then the Pioneer will be an
obvious choice. But for just
drawing pictures, the tracker
ball takes a lot of beating,
particularly when it comes to
the quality of manufacture.
A printer, especially a colour
one, might seem to be an
essential peripheral for
graphics work. However, prin-
ters are not usually fully sup-
ported by the software, so you
might have to write your own
programs to obtain full colour
screen dumps.
But one peripheral you will
need is a monitor — preferably
a good quality colour one. The
Philips model mentioned ear-
lier is ideal.
That should give you some
idea of how an MSX micro can
be putto good use — and how it
can empty your wallet. But
remember that this is only the
start. Peripherals and software
packagesare appearing all the
time, and as MSX is
designed to be versatile,
new uses will be found. 1^1
TOSHIBA HX-22 £TBA
1
W hile you are waiting for
MSX II, how about MSX
1.5? The Toshiba HX-
10, one of the most popular
MSX machines, has now been
joined by an upgraded stable-
mate. the HX-22.
Unlike some other MSX com-
puters, the HX-22 does not
come with a built-in interface
for your video recorder, hi-fi,
microwave oven or tumble
drier. Its enhancements are
aimed squarely at computer
enthusiasts, and are achieved
without affecting hardware or
software compatibility with
other MSX products.
Externally it looks like any
other MSX machine, with a
new black case. But a look at
the I/O ports, which connect
the micro to various peripher-
als. reveals some improve-
ments to the basic specifica-
tion. Immediately obvious are
the twin cartridge ports, com-
pared to the single slot (sup-
plemented by an expansion
bus) on the HX-10.
Another long-overdue addi-
tion is an RS-232 serial inter-
face, supplied as standard.
This uses an IBM-standard
25-pin D plug, socket combina-
tion, unlike the Centronics-
type parallel interface which
goes on using the odd (but
MSX-standard) connector,
used by absolutely nobody else
worth mentioning.
Conventional jack connec-
tors are provided to link up the
oney?
RF (television) output, audio
and composite video. RGB is a
new addition via one of those
expensive European SCART
connectors. Around the side
aretheusualtwojoystick9-pin
D connectors and the cassette
interface.
Finding out exactly what the
HX-22 will and won t do was
slightly hampered by the total
absence of documentation
supplied with the pre-produc-
tion (but definitive) review
machine.
Undaunted, and armed only
with a screwdriver, an inex-
haustible supply of Haymarket
coffee and our natural curiosity
we fearlessly switched on.
Surprise! You don’t get the
usual ‘MSX v.1.0’ message.
Instead, you get a slight pause
followed by a pretty colour
picture of (presumably) down-
town Tokyo at night. This
serves no useful purpose
whatsoever as far as the user is
concerned, apart from filling
up ROM space, but it might
impress the neighbours.
The people who might ben-
efit from the picture are the
dealers. A computer with just
the normal blue start-up
screen looks pretty boring sit-
ting in the shop window, and
loading software (not to men-
tion making sure it stays
loaded) is a hassle. The city-
scape on the HX-22 makes the
computer a more attractive
selling proposition.
The first time you prod a key.
a little window opens up within
this urban panorama, offering
the choice of BASIC or a word
processor. Just to get this out
of the way, the BASIC supplied
is absolutely standard MSX
1.0 and will not be mentioned
again.
Selecting the word proces-
sor proves that the HX-22 is
more than just a couple of extra
I/O ports. In fact, it is stuffed
with extra ROM, holding the
serial communications soft-
ware and the word processor
without absorbing a lot of the
valuable RAM.
An opening menu gives you
eight numbered options —
respectively, these are: writing
(creating and editing) text:
printing: loading from tape or
disk: saving: clearing out the
memory: setting what are
quaintly called ‘program vari-
ables’; serial communications
and exiting to BASIC.
A pretty healthy array of Interfaces on the HX22, Including the RS232 on the right
Selecting option 1 takes you
into the editing screen, upon
which you might recognize a
strong resemblance to the
Computermates word proces-
sor we reviewed earlier in the
year. However, this is a greatly
improved version, which in-
cludes most of the functions
we criticised Computermates
for not incorporating.
The free memory available
for editing text is about 20K, or
something in excess of 3000
words, which is displayed by a
status line on the screen.
Also displayed are the func-
tions carried out by the func-
tion keys. When you start
‘The free memory
available for
editin g text Is
somethlngln excess
of 3000 words’
editing, these are used to
centre, indent, justify text or
force a page break respective-
ly. Hitting SELECT changes the
reading of the status line and
the meaning of the keys — FI
now marks the start of a
designated text block, and F2
ends it.
Pressing SELECT once more
redefines the keys again, giv-
ing you the block functions
MOVE, COPY, DELETE and RES-
TORE. The last is a useful
'oops!' function, recalling the
last block you deleted.
Yet another depression of
SELECT gives you FIND and
REPLACE on FI and F2. These
work essentially the same way
— you enter a stri ng of charac-
ters to be searched, the pro-
gram asks whether or not you
want the case (upper or lower)
to be ignored.
T o repeat a FIND or REPLACE
operation all you do is hit
RETURN in response to a
prompt: ESC quits the routine.
Onethingyoucan'tdo(wethink
— it’s hard to be sure you’ve got
everything without any docu-
mentation) is have the pro-
gram replace all the occurr-
ences of a string without
asking you each time if you
really mean it.
After you have finished with
these functions, SELECT res-
tores the function keys to their
initial editing functions.
Navigating your way around
the text is a little clumsy, as
there are no short cuts. You can
move the cursor one character
‘Del etin g text I s
another area where
full-scale business
word processors have
more flexibility’
leftorrightatatime,oroneline
vertically. There is no way of
jumping straight to the end or
the beginning of the file, or
down one paragraph, or mov-
ing one word at a time.
Deleting text is another area
where f u I l-sca le business word
processors have more flexibil-
ity. With this one, you can only
delete one character at a time,
backwards, using the back-
space key. Forward deletion is
not possible, nor is there a text
overwrite option.
Although the feel of the
keyboard is greatly improved
over that of the HX-10, we
found that it responded rather
The MSX standard cursor keypad
remains on the HX22
sluggishly, and tended to miss
out characters once the user
got up a good head of steam.
This is a potentially serious
flaw for self-taught typists who
spend their time looking at the
keyboard instead of the
screen, but it is hard to say
whether the problem I i es i n the
hardware or the software.
When it comes to printing
the text, you will first need to
examine option 6 on the open-
ing menu, Program Variables.
This option lets you change the
parameters for screen or prin-
ter output. Print parameters
include number of lines per
page, the margins left at the
top, bottom and left of the
paper, the line length, heading
margin, line spacing, and on/
off toggles for wordwrap and
justification.
Parameters
Of course, one of the draw-
backs of editing on a 40-
column display is that the
printed results bear no rela-
tionship to what you get on the
screen.
The screen parameters you
can set include, very usefully,
the length of the displayed line
(39 or 37 characters). This
gets round the problem experi-
enced with some computer/TV
combinationswherebythe left-
most characters of the display
disappear off the edge of the
screen.
You can turn off the warning
beeps and the echoed keyclick
sound, though the keyboard's
annoying tendency to miss out
characters means you should
really keep the keyclick turned
on. Finally, the colour of the
background can be changed.
Once you have set up these
variable parameters to your
own taste, you can save them
on disk or cassette for future
use.
One option of the word
Two cartridge ports come as standard — an improvement on the HXIO
The Joystick and data recorder ports ranged along the right hand side
processor opening menu
which seems to have I ittle to do
with word processing is that of
communication via the built-in
RS-232 interface. When this is
selected you are prompted to
set the transfer rate — six
settings are permitted be-
tween 110 and 4800 baud.
You then have the choice of
receiving text, which just
opens the RS-232 until the
end-of-file character comes
through, sending text, which
transmits the document you
have in memory, or com-
munications which gives you a
chat' facility. The screen is
split horizontally between in-
coming and outgoing data.
The RS-232 interface on the
HX-22 is equipped with an
on-off switch in case you want
to use a different, plug-in
RS-232, like the Computer-
mates cartridge. Switching off
the on-board unit eliminated
any possibility of a clash,
whereby each fights for priority
over the other.
LIKES
Built-in software
R S-232 provided
Two cartridge ports
Attractive styling
The HX-22 is a significant
improvement over the basic
MSX specification, which does
not compromise MSX compati-
bility in any way. The RS-232
interface in particular is some-
thing the MSX specification
should have included as stan-
dard to start with.
The word processor is the
best we have seen on MSX,
and, with the addition of a
printer, makes the computer
suitable for the production of
letters, memos or articles up to
about 3000 words in length
(about the same as three
pages of wall-to-wall maga-
zine printing).
Much depends on Toshiba's
pricing policy, which at the
time of going to press had not
been decided . We wou I d I i ke to
see the HX-22 sell for no more
than £100 more than the
HX-10, otherwise it might not
enjoy the sales success it
deserves.
The fact that we managed to
use the machine quite happily
without any documentation
says quite a lot for the extra
The HX22 Is definitely more stylish than Its predecessor — a pity about that key response, though
ROM-based software. How-
ever, there are ways in which it
remains slightly inelegant. In
particular it seems wasteful of
ROM space.
There are many places
where slightly different, and
unnecessarily wordy prompts
are used, where the use of a
few common routines would
save space. The opening city-
scape is also a waste of space
to the end user.
DISLIKES
Erratic k ey response
Wasted ROM space
However, the combination of
the RS-232 and word proces-
sor makes the HX-22 particu-
larly attractive to anyone want-
inga low-costway of loggingon
to commercial databases, and
bulletin boards. An 80-column
display would improve mat-
ters, and remove the necessity
to read words transmitted from
a remote computer which are
arbitrarily split by the 40-
column restriction.
TOSHIBA HX-22
£TBA
| SPECIFICATION
!
Verdict
Certainly this Is the best
MSX machine so far for the
mainstream computer enthu-
siast, rather than those with a
particular specialised In-
terest, such as music or video.
It Is also a significant improve-
ment over Toshiba’s previous
offering In terms of style. But a
lot depends on whether the
company can sell it
at a reasonable price.
CPU
MEMORY
RAM
ROM
VIDEO RAM
KEYBOARD
TYPE
KEYS
Z80A equivalent
(3.6MHz clock)
64K
32K MSX BASIC
plus ROM software
16K
NUMERIC
KEYPAD
Full travel
48 alphanumeric
21 control keys
Cursor keypad
No
GRAPHICS
VIDEO DISPLAY
TEXT 40 characters—
24 lines
Maximum
resolution 256 x
192 pixels
16
32
RF (TV)
Composite monitor
RGB monitor
COLOURS
SPRITES
OUTPUT
SOUND
GENERATOR
OUTPUTS
3 channels with 8
octave range
Mono audio output
INTERFACES
JOYSTICKS
EXPANSION
BUS
CARTRIDGE
PORT
PRINTER
SERIAL PORT
CASSETTE
2 MSX standard
None
RESET
DIMENSIONS
Centronics
RS232
8-pin DIN
No
420 x 220 x 75mm
(W x D x H)
WEIGHT 2 7Kg
POWER SUPPLY
Internal
FINISH
Black plastic case
SOFTWARE INCLUDED
Built-in word
processor and
communications
software
DISTRIBUTOR
T oshiba UK Ltd ,
Toshiba House,
Frimley Road,
Frimley,
Camberley,
Surrey GU16 5JJ
Tel: (0276) 62222
I t’s only a year since MSX
micros first appeared In
Britain and already eleven
different machines Inhabit
computer departments all over
the country. MSX Is proving
itself as a force to be reckoned
with in the home computer
field and Is definitely here to
stay.
Although all machines have
been constructed to satisfy a
set of minimum MSX require-
ments, the variations in de-
sign, appearance, specifica-
tions and price is so great
that eleven unique-looking
machines have been pro-
duced. It's now possible to
choose a computer as if you
were buying a dress or a suit.
Take the Sony Hit Bit, an
elegant stylish machine. It is
the only one to incorporate a
16K ROM chip containing an
address book program and is
also one of only two MSX
micros to include an RGB
socket, invaluable if you intend
to take advantage of the qua I i -
Over the next six pages
we look at each of the
MSX micros available in
this country to date
ty displays generated by an
RGB monitor. JVC’s HC-7 is the
otherone.Toshiba’sHX-10,on
theotherhand.stickstoafairly
standard configuration.
Variations
Design variations lie in the
inclusion of lightpen holders,
either one or two cartridge
ports, reset buttons, numeric
keypads, music synthesiser
chips and even small things
such as the feel of the
keyboard, function key size or
colour schemes.
The machines appear to be
so different that there is one to
suit every personality and
pocket. Prices range from
£139 for the Goldstar FC-200
to £299 for the Sony H it Bit and
Sanyo MCP-100.
Competition between the
machines is inevitable and
Mitsubishi in particular has
made great efforts to make its
machines attractive with sub-
stantial price reductions, free
quality software packs and
even an offer to take £50 off
the machine’s price in ex-
change for your old computer.
Great bargains exist in
shops such as Underwoods
and Dixons where, for exam-
ple, the Sony Hit Bit and
Panasonic CF-2700 have been
reduced to £99. These offers
are regional and only exist
while stocks last.
The next wave of MSX com-
puters is starting to arrive in
the country, such as Spectra-
video’s X'Press, Toshiba's HX-
22 and Pioneer's CX-7.
Like the Yamaha with its
inbuilt FM synthesiser chip,
each one is respectively indi-
vidualised with special fea-
tures such as built-in disk
drives, word processors and
P-BASIC (a graphics language
enabling the machine to con-
trol video images and superim-
pose text and graphics on
screen), while still conforming
to MSX standards.
To help you make an in-
formed choice, we've summa-
rised the eleven existing MSX
computers. Some excellent
bargains can be found so look
around before parting with any
hard-earned cash.
I CANON V-20
Stylishly chunky — that’s prob-
ably the best way of describing
the Canon V-20. The sleek
black case, adorned with the
orange and white Canon logo,
and the mixture of dark and
pale grey keys combine to give
this machine a modish pro-
fessional look.
Noticeable features on the
Canon are its huge cursor keys
and the array of large function
keys across the top. These
would be perfect for program-
mingandespeciallyfor games
play, but unfortunately, favour-
able first impressions are let
down a little by the keyboard’s
feel.
Key response is spongy and
they cl ick when pressed . When
handled, the keys together
with the casing feel cheap and
‘plasticy’. Word processing
large quantities of text can be
trying, particularly as the
space bar is a little short. The
RETURN key, however, is large
and well-placed for typists.
Unusual features include
the plastic protective covering
on the two cartridge ports and
the clever positioning of the
two joystick ports at the front of
£280
the machine — the usual
location on an MSX micro is at
the side.
A reset button is absent from
the Canon, but the back of the
micro contains the usual array
of interface ports; Centronics
printer, 8-pin DIN cassette and
the video, audio and RF (for
connection to TVs) phono
sockets.
Costly
No software or special offers
accompany the micro, which at
£280 is costly. The introduc-
tion manuals are the standard
MSX offering and teach first
time users to do things such as
connect the machine to a TV
and a bit of MSX BASIC prog-
ramming.
Rounded corners, a smart
colour scheme and well placed
ventilation shafts give this
machine itsgood looks, butthe
beauty isjusta little skin deep.
If you like playing games,
especially the Track and Field
variety, the Canon's huge cur-
sor keys are absolutely ideal,
but £280 is a lot to pay for a
games playing machine only.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
1 Centronics printer
port, 1 8-pin DIN
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
cassette port
RAM 16K
RESET BUTTON No
VIDEO DISPLAY 40 characters x 24
DIMENSIONS 397 x 218 x 60mm
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels
WxDxH
16 colours
32 sprites
WEIGHT 2.4Kg
SOFTWARE None
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
monitor, mono audio
INCLUDED
ACCESSORIES 1 video cable
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
1 audio cable
Instruction manuals
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 21 function
DISTRIBUTOR Canon (UK) Ltd
keys, cursor keypad
Manor Road
Wallington
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
Surrey SM6 QAJ
2 cartridge ports
Tel: 01-7733173
SPECIFICATIONS
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
1 cartridge port
1 Centronics printer
port, 1 8-pin DIN
cassette port
GOLDSTAR FC-200 £139
MEMORY
RAM64K
R0M32K
MSXBASIC
VIDEO RAM
64K
VIDEO DISPLAY40 characters x 24
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels
16 colours
32 sprites
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
monitor, mono audio
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 21 function
keys, cursor keypad
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
1 expansion bus
RESET BUTTON No
DIMENSIONS 400 x 260 x 63mm
WxDxH
WEIGHT 4.7Kg
SOFTWARE 1 Vacuumania game
INCLUDED Demonstration
program
ACCESSORIES 1RF cable
1 cassette cable
Operating manual
MSX BASIC manual
DISTRIBUTOR Spectrum
500 Hunting Gate
Hitchin
Herts SG4 OTJ
Although the Goldstar FC-200
lacks some of the panache,
dash and sophisticated good
looks of some of the other MSX
micros, the emphasis Is on
value for money and durability.
A£139 pricetag makes it the
cheapest of the MSX ma-
chines, but the cost has no-
thingtodo with inferiorquality.
All machines are imported
from Korea where labour costs
are so low that British dis-
tributors can afford to keep
prices down.
No ‘Design of the Year'
awards will be won by the
Goldstar, but we’ve found it to
be durable and very usable. A
common MSX fault is a break-
down in the video or joystick
port connections, but our
office Goldstar has never suf-
fered these or any other ail-
ments.
The Goldstar is a colourful
computer with a two tone light
and dark grey casing, off-white
alphanumeric keys and a
selection of multi-coloured
function keys; red STOP key,
green CODE and GRAPH keys
and a bright blue cursor key-
pad. LEDs indicate whether the
CAPS LOCK or CODE keys are
activated. Programming is
• madeeasywiththesecolourful
aids.
Interfaces on the machine,
apart from the lightpen holder
and the absence of a reset
button, present no surprises.
Unfortunately a 50 pin expan-
sion bus — virtually useless as
the majority of peripherals use
the cartridge-type connector
— has been fitted.
Inexpensive
The alphanumeric keys are
perfect for word processing;
the keys are springy and have a
roughened surface with a grip
good enough for touch typing.
But the small RETURN key is a
disappointment as is the abs-
ence of a £ sign.
As an inexpensive all round
family computer, which is
going to get knocked around
and have tea and biscuit
crumbs dropped into it, the
Goldstar has no competitor. At
£139 it is certainly one of the
best MSX bargains around.
JVC HC-7 £279
JVC has always kept Itself at
the higher end of the consumer
electronics market with top
quality products such as TVs,
hi-fis and video recorders that
not only feel and look good, but
more Importantly are good.
The HC-7, like everything else
from JVC, is a sleek, well
constructed, good looking
computer.
The company doesn't go in
forthe cut-price tactics used by
some companies when sales
are slow, and at £279, the
HC-7 is still one of the most
expensive computers. Fortu-
nately it has enough extras to
keep it head and shoulders
above the crowd.
As i Iver and da rk grey ca s i n g ,
with an unusually high rear
section characterises this mic-
ro. The alphanumeric keys are
off-white, but unfortunately
the function keys are all the
same grey as the casing — the
lack of differentiation can lead
to mistakes, particularly when
programming.
All the usual interfaces and
sockets are included on the
machine plus a few more. It is
one of the few with a reset
button, butthis is placed at the
back where it’s difficult to
reach.
More important is the addi-
tion of the RGB monitor socket.
This welcome extra enables
the machine to link up to an
RGB monitor producinga clear,
flicker-free colour image on
screen (see the monitors sec-
tion on page 72).
Protective plastic coverings
for the vulnerable joystick
ports illustrates the kind of
care JVC takes over its pro-
ducts.
Ideal
Its steep sloping keyboard is
not to everyone's liking, but
this together with the slightly
scalloped keys and large RE-
TURN key makes it ideal for
word processing.
The HC-7’s main strength is
that it is the product of a
well-established company
holding an impressive record
for good quality products. It’s
also a well-designed, attrac-
tive computer.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
1 Centronics printer
port, 1 8-pin DIN
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
cassette port
RAM 16K
RESET BUTTON Yes
VIDEO DISPLAY 40 characters x 24
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels
DIMENSIONS
382 x 286 x
87.5mm W x D x H
16 colours
32 sprites
WEIGHT
SOFTWARE
2.8Kg
None
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
monitor, RGB
INCLUDED
monitor Mono audio
ACCESSORIES
1 cassette cable
1 RF cable
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
Operating manual
KEYBOARD
49 alphanumeric
keys, 24 function
keys, cursor keypad
DISTRIBUTOR
JVC (UK) Ltd
Eldon Wall Trading
Estate
Priestley Way
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
2 cartridge ports
London NW2 7BA
Tel: 01-450 2621
I MITSUBISHI ML-F48 £219
Mitsubishi has taken a calcu-
lated gamble Importing the
32K ML-F48 into a British
home computer market where
the 64K micro rules OK.
In Japan, 32K, 16K and even
8K MSX computers have been
selling like hot cakes, the 64K
computer being the rarity
rather than the norm as in
Britain.
The shortage of memory
doesn't seem to bother the
Japanese buyers and there is
no reason why it should bother
us. With the exception of
Melbourne Houses's adven-
ture game, The Hobbit, this
machine has loaded every
other program we have tried
with it. There is also no dis-
advantage to BASIC program-
mers as it has virtually the
same BASIC memory as a 64K
computer.
Problems will arise if you
need to save vast quantities of
machine code programming or
intend to use MSX-DOS and
CP/M software — but extra
memory can always be
obtained from cartridge RAM
packs.
Lookswise the machine is a
snappy metallic silver and
black with off-white alpha-
numeric and grey function
keys. Some of the function
keys are too small, but the
cursor keypad is one of the
best. The keyboard has a solid
feel and presents no problems
for word processing.
All the usual sockets and
ports are arranged around the
machine, but the reset button
is absent.
Competitive
Price is the main advantage
of this machine — it's a cool
£219 which when put together
with the free software worth
£45 makes it a pretty competi-
tive package. Mitsubishi is
also running an offer whereby
you can exchange your old
computer and get £50 off the
ML-F48's price.
Mitsubishi has gone out of
its way to make this computer
competitive and it's definitely
a machine worth a second
glance despite its memory
limitations.
MEMORY
RAM 32K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
RAM 16K
VIDEO DISPLAY 40 characters x 24
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels 16
colours32 sprites
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
monitor, mono audio
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 21 function
keys, cursor keypad
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
2 cartridge ports
1 Centronics printer
port, 1 8-pin DIN
RESET BUTTON No
DIMENSIONS 370 x 270 x 70mm
WxDx H
WEIGHT 2. 7Kg
SOFTWARE Demo + 2 games,
INCLUDED Blagger, Les Flics,
Mr Wong's Loopy
Laundry, Eric and the
Floaters, Chuckie
Egg, Shark Hunter
ACCESSORIES 1 RF cable 1
cassette lead
Instruction manual
DISTRIBUTOR Mitsubishi Electric
Otterspool Way
Watford, Herts
Tel: (0923) 770000
MITSUBISHI ML-F80 £275
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
RAM 16K
VIDEO DISPLAY 40 characters x 24
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels
16 colours
32 sprites
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
monitor, mono audio
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 21 function
keys, cursor keypad
INTERFACES
2joystickports
2 cartridge ports
1 Centronics printer
port, 1 8-pin DIN
cassette port
RESET BUTTON No
DIMENSIONS
370 x 270 x 70mm
WxDxH
WEIGHT
2.7Kg
SOFTWARE
INCLUDED
Demo + 2 games,
Blagger, Les Flics,
Mr Wong’s Loopy
Laundry, Eric and the
Floaters, Chuckie
Egg and Shark
Hunter
ACCESSORIES
1 RF cable 1
cassette lead
Instruction manual
DISTRIBUTOR Mitsubishi Electric
(UK) Ltd
Otterspool Way,
Watford, Herts
Tel: (0923) 770000
In contrast to the snappy 32K
ML-F48, Mitsubishi’s 64K
computer, the ML-F80 is a
rather staid, solid looking
computer.
No risks have been taken
with this rather unstimulating
micro; no unusual design fea-
tures, no outrageous colour
schemes, no special inter-
faces. But, it does incorporate
all the compulsory MSX fea-
tures to produce a reliable,
non-pretentious MSX com-
puter.
The casing is unexciting, in
black and grey, livened up only
with the Mitsubishi logo. Off-
white alphanumeric and pale
grey function keys make up the
keyboard. But while the
appearance isn’t exactly ex-
uberant, it is neat and busi-
ness-like.
Nothing is lacking on the
socket and interface front;
everything is as it should be
and in keeping with the non-
innovative style adopted by
Mitsubishi for the machine.
Sloping slightly, the
keyboard with its concave keys
is good enough for word pro-
cessing and rapid program
entry, despite the keys' mushy
feel, which occasionally
makes it difficult to ascertain
whether a particular letter has
registered.
A chunky cursor keypad is
ideal for games playing,
although some people may
dislike the distance between
the four keys. Function keys
are too small for comfort.
It's selling for £275, compa-
rable in price to the Canon,
Panasonic and JVC computers.
These more stylish machines
provide a lot of competition but
the accompanying £45 soft-
ware pack makes a difference
as does Mitsubishi's offer to
exchange old computers for a
hefty £50 off the ML-F80's
price.
This machine won't pull in
the crowds, but it's a good solid
MSX computer that does every-
thing it's supposed to do. It’s
worth considering, but the
question is whether the Mitsu-
bishi offers are enough to sway
a fashion conscious British
public from choosing a more
stylish machine.
PANASONIC CF-2700 £280
Smart, aggressive and distinc-
tive, the Panasonic stands out
in a crowd. Where most manu-
facturers have been content to
go for a conservative style
Panasonic has dared to be
different.
At £280 it is fair ly pricey, but
it’s the sort of attention grab-
bing machine that you want as
soon as you’ve seen it.
Larger than any of the other
MSX micros, its size and the
impressive matt black casing
give this machine its hand-
some business-like looks. The
keyboard is a combination of
dark and pale keys contrasting
with the green lettering of the
Panasonic logo and cursor
arrow keys.
Two cartridge slots, handily
situated on the top, together
with the familiar MSX socket
and interface arrangements
means that no out-of-the-
ordinary connections are in-
cluded on this micro.
Thecursor keypad is ideal for
games, but a few of the
function keys are far too thin
for effective programming. On
the other hand, the alpha-
numeric keys are ideal for word
processing with their slightly
sea Hopped surface and solid
feel. Italso hasa large RETURN
key.
As well as the usual RF and
cassette leads, the CF2700
comes with two other useful
cables; video and audio. A few
dealers are supplying free
Panasonic cartridge games
with the machines, but that’s
not standard practice.
A sheet of graphic labels —
for sticking on the relevant
keys — is also supplied. This is
a nice idea — stick them to the
keys and you won’t have to refer
to manuals to find out how to
get musical or other special
characters by means of press-
ing the GRAPH key simul-
taneously.
Nice Idea
Panasonic’s design team
has done wel I with this compu-
ter. But, although the MSX
requirements have been inter-
preted so well, it’s a shame
nothing new has been incorpo-
rated.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU
Z80A 3.6 MHz clock
cassette port
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
RESET BUTTON
No
RAM 16K
VIDEO DISPLAY40 characters x 24
DIMENSIONS
426 x 249 x 91mm
WxDxH
lines Resolution:
256 x 192pixels 16
WEIGHT
3.5Kg
OUTPUTS
colours 32 sprites
TV, composite video
SOFTWARE
INCLUDED
None
monitor, mono audio
ACCESSORIES
1 RF cable, 1 video
cable, 1 audio cable
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
1 cassette lead
Instruction manual
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 21 function
keys, cursor keypad
BASIC manual
Sheet of graphic
labels
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
2 cartridge ports
ICentronicsprinter
port, 1 8-pin DIN
DISTRIBUTOR
Panasonic (UK) Ltd
300-318 Bath Road
Slough, Berks SL1
6JB
SPECIFICATIONS
port, 1 8-pin DIN
cassette port
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
RAM 16K
VIDEO DISPLAY40 characters x 24
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels 16
colours 32 sprites
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
monitor, mono audio
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 21 function
keys, cursor keypad
INTERFACES
2joystickports
2 cartridge ports
ICentronicsprinter
RESET BUTTON Yes
DIMENSIONS 385 x 240 x 63mm
W x D x H
WEIGHT 2.2Kg
SOFTWARE 3 cassettes
INCLUDED (demonstration
program, 2 games, 2
' educational)
ACCESSORIES 1 RF cable 1
cassette lead
Instruction manual
DISTRIBUTOR Sanyo Marubeni (UK)
Sanyo House,
8 Greycaine Road,
Watford, Herts
Tel: (0923) 46363
Computers are nothing new to
Sanyo. It’s been producing 8-
and 16-bit business machines
for some time and is one of the
only MSX-manuf acturing com-
panies to have past experience
in computers. It even has its
own computer dedicated fac-
tory.
With its business computer
background, Sanyo naturally
opted for a professional, busi-
ness-like style for its machine.
One of the lightest of the MSX
micros, the MPC-100 is a
flattish, slim machine with an
attractive si Iver and b lack case
— none of the fancy colours
and shades incorporated into
some of the others.
In fact some shading would
be desirable as the function
and alphanumeric keys are all
completely black making it
fairly easy to press the wrong
ones. Key layout is much the
same as on other machines,
although * it has some nice
traits; largish RETURN and
function keys, and a solidly
constructed cursor keypad.
Key response is firm and
positive, just right for trouble-
free word processing and in-
putting long programs.
Sockets and ports are stan-
dard, although there are two
extra features; a reset button
and light pen holder which is
rather suitable as Sanyo
manufactures the only avail-
able MSX lightpen, the MLP-
001 for £90.
Solid
Overall finish of the machine
is almost faultless; it looks
great, is solidly constructed,
works well, but for £299 we
can’t help feeling there should
be something else, an RGB
output perhaps.
No effort has been made by
Sanyoto make this mach ine an
atrractive proposition to
buyers price-wise. It is a well-
built solid machine but has
absolutely nothing except its
high price to distinguish it from
the rest.
Perhaps Sanyo is hoping
that its excel lent reputation for
consumer electronics goods
will be enough to persuade
people to buy.
SPECIFICATIONS
I SONY HB-75 £2991
Akio Morlta, Sony’s Jet-setting
chief executive is responsible
for many of Sony’s successes
in the consumer electronic
world. His in novative ideas and
foresight have influenced
many of Sony’s products and by
the looks of the Sony Hit Bit,
he’s had a hand in that as well.
Of all the MSX micros re-
viewed here, Sony’s Hit Bit is
probably the best interpreta-
tion of the MSX standard. It
incorporates all the MSX
essential features plus a few
extras, including a 16K ROM
chip (in addition to the ROM
with 32K MSX BASIC) contain-
ing an organiser program.
This chip provides four extra
options to the usual blue and
white MSX BASIC screen;
Address, Schedule, Memo and
Data T ransfer. These functions
operate together to produce a
kind of computerised address
book and diary.
It is probably the best look-
ing of the machines with a
smart jet black casing and a
black and grey keyboard. Func-
tion keys are too sma 1 1 and the
cursor keys occasionally get
stuck underneath the casing,
but on the plus side, the keys
respond smoothly and posi-
tively during word processing
and the RETURN key is one of
the biggest.
In addition to the usual
interfaces, a RGB socket for
mon itors and a red reset switch
positioned on the keyboard are
included on the machine.
Elegance
Sony, in keeping with its
daring reputation, was one of
thef irstcompaniesto bring in a
£350 3.5 inch disk drive as
well as a £40 4Kdata cartridge
offering an extra storage
facility.
Sony’s Hit Bit shows the rest
of the MSX micros what the
MSX standard could be. It
combines style and elegance
with a business-like profes-
sional appearance. The inclu-
sion of that built-in address
book system makes it a high
class family computer — it is
pricey, but it's worth it, espe-
cially when you consider some
of the discounts nowavailable.
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
1 Centronics printer
port, 18-pin DIN
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
cassette port
RAM 16K
RESET BUTTON Yes
VIDEO DISPLAY40 characters x 24
DIMENSIONS
400 x 245 x 66mm
lines Resolution:
WxDxH
256 x 192 pixels 16
colours 32 sprites
WEIGHT
3Kg
OUTPUTS
TV, Composite video
SOFTWARE
Inbuilt address book
monitor, RGB
monitor Mono audio
INCLUDED
system
ACCESSORIES
1 RF cable 1
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
cassette lead
Instruction manual
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 25 function
DISTRIBUTOR
Sony (UK) Ltd
keys, cursor keypad
Sony House, South
Street,
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
Staines, Middlesex
2 cartridge ports
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock 1
1 cartridge port
ICentronicsprinter
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
RAM 16K
port, 18-pin DIN
cassette port
RESET BUTTON No
VIDEO DISPLAY 40 characters x 24
lines Resolution:
DIMENSIONS
405 x 215 x 72mm
256 x 192 pixels 16
colours32 sprites
WxDxH
WEIGHT
2.3Kg
OUTPUTS
TV, Composite video
monitor, mono audio
SOFTWARE
INCLUDED
None
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
ACCESSORIES
1RF cable, 1 audio
KEYBOARD
64 alphanumeric
cable, power supply
keys, 22 function
keys, cursor keys
Instruction manual
Numeric keypad
DISTRIBUTOR
Spectravideo Ltd
165 Garth Road,
INTERFACES
2 joy stick ports
Morden
lexpansionbus
Surrey SM4 4LH
SPECTRAVIDEO SV1-728
£250
One of the first companies to
develop an MSX BASIC-type
language, Spectravideo used
a version of it in two of its
computers, the SV1-318 and
SV1-328. These, although not
full MSX machines, were used
by many companies to develop
MSX software.
Spectravideo's SV1-728
was one of the first MSX
machines to arrive in the
country and is a visually dis-
tinctive machine. It has an
off-white casing, a two-tone
grey keyboard and a numeric
keypad, a feature not included
on any of the other MSX
machines.
Right from the start, Spec-
travideo aimed its machine at
the business end of the MSX
market, a strategy confirmed
by the company’s latest MSX
import, the X' Press at a price of
about £400 (reviewed on page
38).
The keyboard is unusual;
arrowed keys instead of the
usual chunky cursor keypad, a
number of extra keys (some
containing LED lights) and the
numeric keypad which contri-
butes to the unusually large
amount of alphanumeric keys.
In effect the keyboard is clut-
tered, although the keys are
firm and bouncy enough for
word processing.
It has all the usual inter-
faces, but unfortunately a (cur-
rently) virtually useless expan-
sion bus has been installed
rather than a second cartridge
port.
Another noticeable feature
is its external transformer —
most of the MSX micros in-
corporate these internally.
Spectravideo has deliber-
ately discouraged games play-
ers by omitting a distinctive
RETURN key and cursor
keypad.
There are no special price
reductions to encourage
buyers and anyone thinking
about a business machine
wou Id be well advised to spend
a I ittle more and get the X’ Press
(if and when it becomes avail-
able).
TOSHIBA HX-10 £2391
Very similar In appearance to
the Goldstar, Toshiba's HX-10
Isacolourful, compact compu-
ter. It contains no features
other than those specified as
the standard MSX require-
ments and this has probably
helped Toshiba to reduce the
price tag, formerly £280, to
£239.
Coloured in dark and light
grey, and almost covered by a
ventilation grille, the HX-10 is
one of the smal lest of the MSX
micros.
Alphanumeric keys are the
usual off-white, but the func-
tion keys are a multi-coloured
affair; most of them are dark
grey, but the cursor keypad is
bright blue, the STOP key is red
and the GRAPH key, a vivid
green.
Toshiba has aimed its
machine at home users, put-
ting the emphasis on games
with the huge RETURN key and
lively cursor keypad. Keystroke
is a little too shallow for large
amounts of word processing,
but the function keys are well
placed and large enough to
facilitate long hours of pro-
gramming. It has no reset
button.
A si ight problem is the back-
space key which is rather small
for something that is used so
often.
Interfaces and socket con-
nections hold no surprises,
except that a less-than-usef ul
expansion bus has unfortu-
nately replaced the second
cartridge port.
Reasonable
Toshiba’s £239 price tag is
reasonable, especially if you
consider the three programs
offered free with the computer;
two great games — Hunchback
and Manic Miner, and the
educational French is Fun.
These offers are only on while
dealer stocks last.
Toshiba has worked to pro-
duce a computer that satisfies
the minimum MSX require-
ments cheaply and efficiently.
It is the Mr Average of all the
MSX computers; squat, square
and fairly unexciting. Still,
£239 is definitely not a price to
be sniffed at.
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
port, 18-pin DIN
cassette port
MEMORY
RAM 64K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
RESET BUTTON No
RAM 16K
DIMENSIONS
370 x 245 x 60mm
VIDEO DISPLAY 40 characters x 24
WxDxH
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels
16 colours
WEIGHT
2.8Kg
32 sprites
SOFTWARE
1 demonstration
INCLUDED
cassette, French is
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
Fun, Hunchback and
monitor, mono audio
Manic Miner
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
ACCESSORIES 1 RF cable 1
cassette lead
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
Instruction manual
keys, 21 function
keys, cursor keypad
BASIC manual
DISTRIBUTOR
Toshiba (UK) Ltd
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
Frimley Road,
1 expansion bus
Frimley,
1 cartridge port
Camberley, Surrey
ICentronicsprinter
GU16 5JJ
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU
Z80A 3.6MHz clock
Centronics printer
port, 1 8-pin DIN
MEMORY RAM 32K ROM 32K
MSX BASIC VIDEO
RAM 16K
VIDEO DISPLAY40 characters x 24
cassette port
keyboard socket
RESET BUTTON No
lines Resolution:
256 x 192 pixels
16 colours
DIMENSIONS
422 x 207 x 68mm
WxDxH
32 sprites
WEIGHT
2.7Kg
OUTPUTS
TV, composite video
SOFTWARE
FM music
monitor, mono audio
2 stereo phone jacks
INCLUDED
synthesiser
2 MINI DIN sockets
ACCESSORIES
IRFcable
1 cassette cable
SOUND
3 channels 8 octaves
2 instruction manuals
KEYBOARD
48 alphanumeric
keys, 21 function
keys, cursor key pad
DISTRIBUTOR
Yamaha Kemble
Music (UK) Ltd
Mount Avenue,
Bletchley,
INTERFACES
2 joystick ports
lexpansionbus
1 cartridge port
Milton Keynes MK1
1JE
Tel: (0908) 71771
YAMAHA CX-5M £449
When the MSX computer stan-
dard was first announced, It
was heralded as being Just part
of a new concept In home
entertainment. So far, Yamaha
Is the only company to have
fulfilled that claim, although
the Pioneer (reviewed on page
18) Is soon to offer more with
Its Interactive video system.
The CX5M is not just a
computer, but also a music
synthesizer. The secret to the
CX5M’s dual function is its
built in synth, the FM Sound
Synthesizer. FM stands for
Frequency Modulation and re-
fers to the way sounds are
generated.
A keyboard is needed to take
advantage of the synthesizer's
ability, putting the system’s
price up by £85 or £165 for
Yamaha’s Mini and Standard
keyboards respectively.
With its slim stylish black
casing and black and grey
keyboard, Yamaha's computer
looks superb. Unfortunately it
has only 32K of user memory
and just one cartridge port.
Still, most people will be
buying it for the musical capa-
bilities, sothese shortcomings
won’t matter too much.
The internal synthesizer has
a number of features: up to
eight sounds can be gener-
ated ; it provides a preset range
of 46 voices covering every-
thing from woodwind to bells,
train noises and percussion.
Solo bass and rhythm chords
can be generated to accom-
pany the music. In short,
sophisticated music can be
composed with the minimum
of effort.
Versatile
Other cartridge programs
a va i I a b I e f or use with the synth
are the Music Composer, two
voicing programs and a Music
Macro, all at £36. Accompany-
ing manuals explain every-
thing clearly and precisely.
As an MSX computer, the
CX5M has a few shortcomings,
but as a synthesiser for the
home or even a music studio, it
is a versatile, easy-to-use
music making machine. If
you’re musically inclined, give
it more than a second look.
FOR EVERYTHING MUSICAL
THE NORTH WESTS LEADING
ELECTRO MUSIC SUPPLIERS
OFFER YOU
YAMAHA CX5M
MUSIC COMPUTER
v )
ALL AVAILABLE FROM STOCK
65 SANKEY ST, WARRINGTON. Tel: 32591
Branches at: Burnley. Tel: 2S829
Chester. Tel: 48606
St Helens. Tel: 30424
Stockport. Tel: (061) 477 1210
Wigan. Tel: 44680
Available from
selected branches
and all good
computer stores
DEALER
ENQUIRIES
WELCOMED
OTHER TITLES
INCLUDE
Fun Words
Challenge My Bluff
Kriss Kross Kquiz
BLAST OFF into an incredible galaxy of exciting adventures
with your MSX home computer.
LET'S GO MSX takes the lid of! the fascinating high
performance powerhouse hidden beneath the keyboard of
your MSX.
LET'S GO MSX puts you in the pilot s seat as you explore
the star-studded array of functions at your fingertips.
Teach yourself programming with the aid of your own MSX as
this intriguing package charts a thrilling course through four
practical working programs for you to study and keep —
Personal Cashplan, Recipes, Home Librarian, Education
Game.
Learn the skills of manipulating words, figures, drawings,
colours and sounds. Complete the full SoftCat course with
LErS GO MSX (Advanced) and even full animation on
screen tor action-packed games, leisure and education will be
yours to command.
SoftCat
For further information
Telephone 056589 3563
or write to:
SoftCat
P.0. Box 19
Knutsford WA16 OHE
ALL YAMAHA
CXS OWNERS
I I
i'lUhli
7F/75
LTD
NOW PRESENT THE ULTIMATE
SOFTWARE PACKAGE . . .
★ 8 Track Realtime Sequencing Recorder
(Monophonic & Polyphonic)
★ Track Assignment to Internal Voices or
External Midi Synths
★ Step Time or Real Time Pitch Correction
★ Playback from any Specified Bar
★ Quantising Error Correction
★ Master Transpose Facility
★ Midi Clock for T ape or Drum Machine Sync
★ Built-In Mixer Facility
★ Disc Compatable
★ Fully Menu-Driven with
Help Screens
★ 1 00 Preset
Voice Library
Available from your local YAMAHA HI-TECH
Dealer
Or Mail Order Direct from
DIGITAL MUSIC SYSTEMS LTD
182 Wilmslow Road, Heald Green, Cheshire SK8 3BG
England.
Telephone: 061-437 4788
(CLOSED ALL DAY WEDNESDAY)
Say what you like
about the Yamaha -
and you could win
a complete CX5M
music micro outfit
Y ou and Yamaha can make
great music, if you’re the
lucky winner of our com-
petition. We’re giving away a
complete Yamaha music micro
system, comprising the CX5M
computer, music keyboard,
and two cartridges — the FM
Voicing Program and the Music
Composer.
The CX5M is a full spec 32K
MSX micro with some vital
extras. There’s an FM synth-
esizer unit built-in, with stereo
sound output and a MIDI inter-
face for linking up to other
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instruments.
Plug in the keyboard and the
FM Voicing Program and you
can play away to your heart's
content with a vast array of
sounds at your disposal. Or
plug in the other cartridge and
compose your latest opus.
All you have to do to win this
fabulous outfit is tell us what
you think are the best features
of the Yamaha. We’ve listed
them below — you just have to
put them in the correct order.
Write the letters on a post-
card, and send it to: Yamaha
Competition, What MSX?, 38-
42 Hampton Road, Tedding-
ton, Middlesex TW11 OJE, to
reach us not later than 14th
October 1985.
The qualities to arrange are:
A) High quality keyboard
B) Built-in MIDI interface
C) Stereo output
D) Built-in FM synthesizer
E) MSX compatible
Ui
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YAMAHA
YAMAHA
UUSIC KEYBOARD YK-Ot
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1. There is only one prize. The
winning entry will be the first
correct answer pulled from the
bag after the closing date.
2. The Judges’ decision is
final and no correspondence
will be entered into.
3. The competition is not
open to employees of Haymar-
ket Publishing, their agents or
suppliers, nor the employees
of Kemble- Yamaha, or the
families of said employees.
4. No overseas entries can be
accepted.
5. Entries should be on a
postcard clearly marked with
the name and address of the
entrant.
6. The winner will be notified
personally. Please do not ring
up with enquiries about the
competition.
7. No entries will be accepted
from Phil Rotsky, Juan Moore-
Thyme or any other nom-de-
pseud.
:-'i ;$? kM * "X'Ij
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SPECTRAVIDEO X’PRESS
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Mk common, if misguided,
criticism of MSX micros
that they’re all pretty
much the same. One or two
may have extras, like the
Sony’s built-in software and
the Yamaha’s FM synthesizer,
but on the whole they all have
the same features.
Well, that wasn’t quite true
before and is even less true
now. Spectravideo has
announced a new micro — the
X’Press — with more features
than ever. We managed to get
a look at an early pre-produc-
tion sample which, although it
wasn’t quite finished, gave us
a pretty accurate idea of what
the final machine will be like.
At the heart of the X’Press is
a standard, first generation
MSX micro. But Spectravideo
has thoughtfully provided
some extremely useful extras.
The most noticeable of these is
a built-in 3.5 inch disk drive,
which is perhaps the most
important addition.
Then there is an RS232C
port, which saves you having to
buy a separate cartridge for
communications work. And
Spectravideo's 80-column
card is built-in — or at least it
will be. The sample we saw
didn't have this particular fea-
ture, but the company assures
us that it will be included in the
final production models.
A final price hasn't yet been
decided, but it has been hinted
that £400 might be about
right. If so, that makes the
X’Press very inexpensive when
Not quite the next
generation, but still
a step forward,
Spectravideo’s new
micro comes complete
with a host of extras
you consider the extras you get
with it — with other MSX
micros you’d have to buy them
separately, and none of them
come cheap.
We’ll look at each of these in
turn. But first, what about the
overall package? Well, for a
start it’s very portable. That
doesn’t mean you can use the
X'Press on your lap in the train.
After all, you still need a TV or
monitor to plug into the micro,
and a mains supply. But it does
mean that the X’Press is easy
to cart around.
For example, you mightwant
to take the computer to a
friend’s house, or with you to
work. Spectravideo has made
this easy by supplying a smart
carrying case. And with the
built-in disk drive there's no
need to lug around a separate
drive or cassette recorder.
Once out of the carrying case
the micro still gives an im-
pression of neatness, with the
possible exception of the pow-
er supply.
Unlike other MSX micros,
the X’Press has a separate
transformer. That seems a
Bk
, : : ,p' ' 35 &k
J* 1^.
O i SLt>
• T • -- h> *'•
'
£399 approx
little odd when you’re used to
having the power supply built-
in, but it makes life a little
simpler for Spectravideo. The
company can easily adapt the
machine for different coun-
tries with different mains sup-
plies just by changing the
transformer.
The design of the X’Press is
very stylish. The casing is slim,
although it extends a fair
distance back, and it’s
finished in the usual Spectra-
video cream. It gives the im-
pression of being a fairly
robust micro. We haven’t yet
tried dropping it out of a
window, but we can’t detect
any weak or unsupported
points in the casing, and there
are no rough edges.
The keyboard looks good at
first, although we had a few
problems actually using it. For
one thing, there’s virtually no
colour coding — just two, very
similar shades of cream forthe
various sets of keys. And some
of the keys are rather too
small, particularly STOP and
ENTER.
Indeed, the tops of all the
keys are a bit on the small side.
However, they're pleasantly
sculputured and, in spite of a
certain amount of rattle and
sideways movement, the re-
sponse is firm and positive.
Perhaps the keys could be a
little less spongy, but we still
managed to achieve reason-
able typing speeds with few
lost letters.
The bullt-ln disk drive seen from the top (above) and the side (below) Is an
attractive feature of the X’press, making It good value for money
The one thing we did miss
compared with Spectravideo’s
previous MSX micro — the
SVI-728 — was the separate
numeric keypad. But some-
thing has to go when you're
trying to make a compact
machine.
There’s almost no slope to
the keyboard itself, but that
doesn’t mean that Spectra-
video has ignored this aspect.
At the back of the micro is a
fold-out handle, complete with
a couple of rubber feet. When
this is swung down it tilts the
whole computer, giving an
excellent typing angle.
Pulling out the handle also
reveals a row of connectors
and ports. These are: the
RS232C port; a connector for a
second diskdrive; a Centronics
printer port; RF video output
(for use with a normal TV);
audio and video phono sockets
to connect with a composite
monitor; power socket to con-
nect with the transformer; and
f i na I ly the main ON/OFF switch .
The composite monitor, TV
and printer sockets are all
standard MSX types. The
RS232C socket, however, is
unfortunately not standard,
which means you're probably
going to have to make up your
own lead if you want to connect
it to a modem, serial printer or
some other peripheral.
The facility to link-up a
second disk drive is very handy.
The controlling software is
supplied with the machine
which probably means you can
plug in any type of drive,
although we’ll need to find out
a lot more about the disk
system before we can confirm
that. But if it’s true it means
that you could put together a
two drive system relatively
cheaply, because you’re not
having to buy a dedicated MSX
disk unit.
All the connectors on the
back are covered and pro-
tected when the handle is
folded up. That’s very handy if
you’re moving the machine
around as it stops dust and
other nasty particles clogging
up the sockets.
Most of the other sockets are
on the right hand side. Moving
from the front of the micro to
the rear we encounter the two
standard joystick ports, a nor-
mal MSX cassette port, and
then the disk drive.
Lastly, there is a single
cartridge port on the top of the
machine. Of course, most MSX
micros have two ports. But
then, the X’Press has the
built-in disk drive and RS232
port, each of which would
normally take up a cartridge
slot of its own.
Of all these bit and pieces,
the one of interest to most
people is the disk drive. As far
as we can see it seems a pretty
standard 3.5 inch model. It’s
completely compatible with
the Sony drive, in spite of the
price difference. So rather
than buying the Sony drive (for
around £350) you can pay a bit
more, buytheX'Pressandgeta
computer to go with the drive!
The drive was a bit noisy on
occasions, but not worryingly
so. And this could be put down
to it being a pre-production
sample. The one thing in its
favour is that it seemed to
generate virtually no heat —
probably because there’s no
transformer on board.
Using the disk drive is easy.
Slotting a disk into the drive
causes the eject button to pop
out, giving you an instant
indication of whether there’s a
disk in place. When the disk is
actually spinning (and so
shouldn’t be removed) a red
light goes on just above the
cursor keys. And really, that’s
all there is to the hardware side
of it.
The next most interesting
feature is undoubtedly the
RS232C interface. Some peo-
ple felt that this should have
been provided as standard on
all MSX micros.
Communications, where you
use your micro to link up with
other computers over the tele-
phone network, is rapidly be-
coming one of the most popu-
larareasof computing. Butyou
need a modem to convert
computer signals into tele-
phone signals, and vice versa.
And to use a modem you need
an RS232 serial port on the
computer.
Previous MSX computers
have relied on RS232 adapter
cartridges, costing around
£100 upwards, to provide this
facility. True, the cartridges
also contain software, and
some of it quite sophisticated.
But communications software
isn’t difficult to write, and in
any case, some fairly basic
software is supplied on disk
with the X'Press.
Like most micros, the
X’Press comes packaged with
some software. But it’s a
completely different type to
the in-box software supplied
with the other MSX computers.
You get two system disks for
MSX-DOS and CP/M version
2.2. If you switch the micro on
with either of these d isks i n the
drive, the computer automati-
cally boots-up into the operat-
ing system. If there’s no disk in
the drive, the micro defaults to
normal MSX BASIC plus MSX
disk BASIC, which is built into
the machine.
The MSX-DOS supplied is
version 1.01. It’s the first time
we’ve managed to get a look at
the complete system,
although parts of it have turned
up before on the Aackosoft
word processing and database
program disks.
MSX-DOS seems to be pretty
comprehensive and versatile.
Itoperates in a very similarway
to the industry-standard MS-
DOS, from which it’s obviously
derived.
The system disk also con-
ta i ns some software. There is a
package of four programs — a
very simple database, basic
spreadsheet, and a disk man-
agement program for, among
other things, formatting and
copying disks.
None of these programs are
up to normal business stan-
dards, but they're free and
usable. Unfortunately no docu-
mentation was supplied for
them, so it’s impossible to go
into the programs in details.
If you dec ide that you want to
get to MSX BASIC from MSX-
DOS, you simply type CALL
BASIC and you’re there. Get-
ting back to MSX-DOS is equal-
ly simple. You just type CALL
SYSTEM, assuming that you’ve
got the MSX-DOS system disk
in the drive.
CP/M is just as easy to use,
although the operating system
itself is looking a little long in
the tooth now. Nevertheless,
it’s good to have it available as
there’s so much excel lent CP/M
software around. Unfortunate-
ly, we couldn't really test it
because of the lack of an 80
The back view of the machine with the carrying handle folded away Folding the handle down reveals an Impressive array of peripheral ports
SPECTRAVIDEO X’PRESS
£399 approx
CPU Z80A equivalent
(3.6MHz clock)
column screen on our test
machine. Still, we don't envis-
age any problems.
At the moment there's no
information available about
the80 column card, so we can' t
say iftheswitching between 40
and 80 column modes will be
done by hardware (that i s with a
button) or software. However,
the hardware approach seems
most likely.
The existence of an 80
column mode does not mean
that the X’Press will be com-
patible with later generations
of MSX machines, which will
also have 80 columns. Future
machines will achieve this by
including new video chips, very
different to the first-genera-
tion chip used in the X'Press.
But having 80 columns is
essential for running many
business programs, particu-
larly CP/M ones.
LIKES
Built-in disk drive
RS232 serial port
80 column screen
option
N eat and compact
As the X’Press has so many
features it needs good back-up
in the form of instructions and
general documentation. Fortu-
nately, that’s precisely what
it’s got.
MSX-DOS, CP/M and MSX
disk BASIC each have their own
manuals. The style i s the same
throughout, with clear pre-
sentation, full explanations of
all commands and useful
tables and reference sections.
In addition, there is a handy
CP/M quick reference card, for
when you don't want to plough
through the manual to find the
syntax of theonecommandyou
need.
MEMORY
RAM
32K
ROM
32K MSX BASIC
VIDEO RAM
16K
KEYBOARD
TYPE
Full travel
KEYS
48 Alphanumeric
21 control keys
Cursor keypad
NUMERIC
No
KEYPAD
VIDEO DISPLAY
TEXT
Standard MSX modes
(40 cols x 24 lines)
Plus80 column mode
GRAPHICS
256 x 192 resolution
COLOURS
16
SPRITES
32
OUTPUTS
RF (TV)
Composite monitor
SOUND
GENERATOR
3 channels with 8
octave range
OUTPUTS
Mono audio output
(RCA phono)
150mV/10kOhm
INTERFACES
JOYSTICKS
2
EXPANSION BUS No
CARTRIDGE PORT 1
PRINTER
ICentronics
SERIAL PORT
RS232
CASSETTE
8-pin DIN
DISK
For one external
drive
MASS STORAGE
One built-in 3. 5inch
single sided disk
drive. Max capacity
360K
RESET
No
POWERSUPPLY
External transformer
DIMENSIONS
365 x 295 x 60mm
(WxDxH)
FINISH
Cream plastic
casing and cream
keys
SOFTWARE INCLUDED
MSX-DOS system
disk
CP/M 2. 2 system
disk
both with utilities
SUPPLIED ACCESSORI ES
RFcable
CP/M manual
MSX-DOS manual
MSXdiskBASIC
manual
MSX BASIC manual
Computermanual
DISTRIBUTOR SpectravideoLtd,
165 Garth Road,
Morden,
Surrey SM44LH
Tel: 01-3300101
You also get an MSX BASIC
manual and a machine instruc-
tion book.
Both of these were at the raw
copy stage when we saw them,
but nevertheless they seem
very comprehensive. So
there's no problem at all in
finding out what you need to
know about the micro.
DISLIKES
No reset switch
Cramped keyboard
Not availabl e yet
All in all, it's an impressive
package. Even without the
MSX compatibility, the X’Press
would be an extremely attrac-
tive proposition, and Spectra-
video may well sell the
machine on its individual
merits, rather than its place in
the big MSX family. But being
able to run MSX software, and
connect MSX peripherals is
obviously going to be a big
bonus.
The 80 column screen, CP/M
compatibility and built-in disk
drive make it an ideal machine
for the lower end of the busi-
ness market, while it should
still becheapenoughtoappeal
to the average home micro
user.
Verdict
The only problem we can see
with the X’Press is getting hold
of It. There are no fixed dates
for importing It yet, and cer-
tainly no official price. And the
fact that it’s essentially a first
generation MSX micro might
put some retailers off stocking
It. That would be a shame
because, by any standards, It’s
an excellent, versatile micro —
certainly one of the best bar-
gains you’ll find In the h
MSX market. H
m*/
Hago Products Limited, Shripney Road,
Bognor Regis, West Sussex.
Telephone: 0243 863131 Telex 86421
/
/ rS
' <o
'' <$& ^
e»
6 V
• VDU Worktop with
paper rack takes all
VDU’s and TV’s up to 1 4"
size.
Adjustable to keep VDU
correctly related to the
keyboard. Worktop size
24 V 4 " x 1 3 3 / 4 ".
• Keyboard
Worktop.
Adjusts from
20 %" to 29 VV' high.
# Sturdy stable
frame finished in
Chocolate Brown with
simulated Teak work
tops.
Mounted on castors
for complete mobility.
• Optional shelf for disc
drives, tape recorder,
printer etc. (Ref 813).
Optional undershelf with
paper rack (Ref 814).
Whether you’re operating from home, school
or office, the Halgo PCW (Ref 81 2) adds the
professional touch to your computer layout.
Handsome, sturdy, with a place for everything, the
Hago PCW
is the home every personal computer deserves.
Optional
programme
copyholder
(Ref 81 5).
It can be a problem
just getting your
new computer out of
the box, as Mike
Gerrard found out
I was recently browsing in a
second-hand shop when I
saw a new micro in Its
cellophane wrapper. I figured
that whoever had bought it had
been unable to get It out of the
wrapping and sold it. No doubt
they told everyone that home
computers were vastly over-
rated.
But it did make me think
about the possible pitfalls
awaiting the new micro buyer,
so for anyone thinking of
buying an MSX machine, or on
the verge of going out to do so,
here’s a semi-serious guide to
those vital few hours when you
and your machine first meet.
If you think we are making a
fuss over nothing, that no-one
could fail to get a machine up
and running in the twinkling of
an eye, then you haven't heard
some of the stories I’ve heard
over the years, such as the man
who phoned Dragon Data to
complain that his brand new
Dragon wasn't raising the
promised display on his TV
screen.
After going through every
probable cause of this, the
service department had to
resort to improbable ones.
They then discovered this chap
hadn't switched on his TV set,
having got the impression from
somewhere that micros work-
ed with the TV switched off.
In fact you should do a little
thinking before you get to the
stage of switching on the TV, or
even bringing the computer
home. There's nothing more
frustrating than getting the
machine and not being able to
do very much with it.
Make sure you have a cas-
sette recorder with the right
jack sockets, one marked EAR
and one marked MIC, with an
optional third one, REM, gov-
erning remote control.
Most peop le I know who have
bought computers, and that
includes myself, get so excited
by the purchase of the actual
machine that they don't think
to buy some software to go
along with it. This usually
comes afterwards, but it
makes far more sense to get
some beforehand.
Computers do mostly come
with a demonstration tape, but
these can hardly be described
as state-of-the-art program-
ming. They're usually a collec-
tion of very simple programs to
ease you into using the
machine, and never show off
the graphics and sound in a
way that a good game will.
Don't ignore that introductory
tape, buthavesomethingmore
flashy standing by if you don't
want family and friends to
greet your new wonder purch-
ase with a severe attack of the
yawns.
Your machine will also come
with a manual, but these do
vary from the excellent to the
execrable, so look through the
book reviews in our sister
magazine, MSX Computing,
and our round-up on page 84,
and try to get hold of at least
one or two to supplement the
manual.
When you get the computer
home, staggering under the
weight of the extra books and
games you've bought with it,
you'll probably be too weak to
cope with the sturdy packaging
so go and have a cup of tea.
The machine should be well
protected in styrofoam, even
though they are quite robust
objects. This doesn't mean you
can go throwing them round
the room, and if there's an
ominous rattle as you're un-
packing the box then be pre-
pared for the worst.
A computer comes in one
piece, and if yours doesn'tthen
don't waste time lookingf orthe
assembly instructions, it isn't
an Airfix kit; take it straight
back to the shop.
Assuming it is in one
piece, then simply put the plug
onto the power lead and plug it
in. No need toswitch on yet as
you have to connect up the TV
or monitor first.
You could try it without, and
in fact the computer will work
awayquite happily, will play its
way through a whole session of
yourfavouritegame, if you like,
butthat's not much good to you
if you can't actually see what's
going on. You can ask it the
square root of 1,000,001 on
the keyboard, but you can'tsee
the answer without giving the
m icro a screen to display it on.
Your manual will explain how
everything connects up, so
follow those instructions and
plug one end of the TV lead into
the appropriate socket of your
computer, and the other end
into the TV aerial socket. You
will not, of course, be one of
those wallies that forgets to
switch on the TV. Now you can
switch on the computer.
Assuming your computer
has a little red power on/off
light, there are now two op-
tions. Eitherthe light comes on
or it doesn't. If it doesn't, then
power is not getting to the
computer, which means that
perhaps the fuse in the plug
has gone, perhaps you've for-
gotten to pay the bill, or
perhaps you've connected the
plug up wrongly, though it's
usually possible to detect
when this has happened be-
cause of the explosion .
If you're sure the fuse is
working, the plug is working,
the socket is working and the
wiring is correct, and that
you're not in the middle of a
power cut, then you'd better try
tuning in the computer anyway
as there's always an outside
chance that it's the little red
light that's broken.
Tuning into the TV is simple
enough. If you have the type
that has just the single tuning
dial, which you turn to get the
different stations, then just
keep turning until you get an
unfamiliar screen which is
obviously not Ceefax, Prestel
or even the little girl on the BBC
test-screen.
The computer tunes into
somewhere near channel 36, if
your dial is marked, and if it
isn't then the order the chan-
nels appear in is ITV/BBC-1/
Channel 4/BBC-2/computer,
with the computer channel not
being very far after BBC-2.
If you have a push-button set
then allocate one of the but-
tons exclusively to the compu-
ter to save re-tuning every
time. If you have a monitor the
signal's direct and doesn't
need tuning.
The advantage of a monitor
is that you get clearer defini-
tion when used with a compu-
ter, the disadvantage is that
you can't also watch Minder on
it.
If everything's turned on,
connected up and tuned in,
then it should be all systems
go. If nothing'shappeningthen
make sure you're not trying to
tune in the microwave by
mistake. MSX can't do
that . . . yet. If you can't pick
up the micro's introductory
screen, but your TV you know to
be working, then something
may be seriously wrong. Is the
lead firmly pushed into the
aerial socket? Is the other end
firmly pushed into the RF
socket? Are you sure you've not
switched on the microwave by
mistake?
If you have got the introduc-
tory screen, then you can start
tapping away on the keyboard
to your heart's content. Then
you' 1 1 want to connect up to the
cassette recorder. Right . . .
one end of the lead in the
cassette socket on the compu-
ter, the end with three jack
plugs into the cassette recor-
der, blackjack in REM, white
jack in EAR, red jack in MIC.
Turn the volume up quite
loud, and make sure that the
EAR connection is firmly in
place or you'll hear something
that makes heavy metal sound
positively light. Follow the cas-
sette's loading instructions,
and chances are it will load.
If the computer screen says
I/O ERROR then the volume on
the cassette is not quite at the
right level, so experiment with
that — you'll have to start from
the beginning each time. If
nothing happens then you've
probably typed in the loading
command incorrectly. Check
you've every colon, capital
letter and space in place.
Only if you're absolutely cer-
tain you've done everything
perfectly (and check things
twice if not three times be-
cause computers are fussy),
then take the tape back to the
shop and see if it will load on
another MSX computer. If it
does, then it should load on
yours. There may be a fault in
your computer, but it's a very
slim chance and the fault more
likely lies with you.
If you have none of these
problems, and chances are you
won't then now you're up, up
and away, your MSX yours to
command. And if you've had all
of these problems then all lean
say is that you should never
have taken the cellophane off
the box . . . you and machines
obviously just don't get on.
Have you thought of ■■
taking up knitting? Bi
It all looks so easy In the shop — surely even an Idiot can do It?
Due to unparalleled demand, Mitsubishi have extended this amazing
offer until the. end of the year to include Christmas. The Mitsubishi
MSX 64k ML-F80 and 32k ML-F48 are both equipped with 2 cartridge
points, 2 joy 'Stick points and a centronics compatable interface. With its
many features including 255 predefined characters, a maximum resolution
of 256 x 192 pixels, 16 colours and the facility for creating ‘3D 1 graphics,
Mitsubishi MSX is designed for the future. Compare it with your
old computer at any of the stores shown overleaf.
MITSUBISHI
COMPUTERS
* Receive £50 for your old computer or video game machine when you
purchase any Mitsubishi MSX Computer until 31st December 1985
R J TAYLOR
PURDY BUILDING
NORTH QUAY
GT YARMOUTH
NORFOLK
Tel: 0493 857048
ETS
ANGEL YARD
H ELSTON
CORNWALL
Tel: 032 65 3801
MEDLIC0 77
BROTHERS
GREEN LANE
UPPER ROAD
ME0LE BRACE
SHREWSBURY
Tel: 0743 3060
Jatala Electronics
490 HIGH ROAD
CHISWICK
LONDON W4
DENNERS LTD
HIGH STREET
YEOVIL
SOMERSET
SUPA ELETRICS
(Beckenham) LTD
425 CROYDON ROAD
BECKENHAM
KENT
Tel: 01-995 8535
Tel: 0935 74444
Tel: 01-650 6886
Fraser Vision
1 7 WELLGATE STREET
LARKHALL
LANARKSHIRE
Tel: 0698 881493
SLADE & HOPE
15 HARROW DENE ROAD
BRISTOL
AVON
Tel: 0272 47204
Richard's Radio
NEW CROSS STREET
KINGS HILL
DARLASTON
WEDNESBURY
W MIDLANDS
Tel: 021 526 3389
BRYSONS
M R PETERS
M F Berriman
28 HAMILTON ROAD
MOTHERWELL
SCOTLAND
19 THE BROADWAY
BEDFORD
308 NE WLAN DAVE
HULL
N HUMBERSIDE
Tel: 0698 63406
Tel : 0234 521 07
Tel: 0482 43415
G KNIGHT'S
INSIGHT
QUAY TV
108 ROSEMOUNT PLACE
ABERDEEN
101 WESTERN ROAD
HOVE
E SUSSEX
31 PROSPECT STREET
BRIDLINGTON
YORKS
Tel: 0224 630526
Tel: 0273 770202
Tel: 0262 672870
COMPUTERS
K GARDNER
PARLIAMENT STREET
LANCASTER
LANCS
Tel: 0524 64328
Swifts of Wilmslow
5 SWAN STREET
WILMSLOW
CHESHIRE
Tel: 0625 526213
FRASERS HIFI
22-25 CLM SHOT LANE
CHIPPENHAM
BURNHAM
BUCKS
Tel: 062 86 64333
GBEGG
ORMILE INDUSTRIAL
ESTATE
THURSO
CAITHNESS
Tel: 0847 661 11
JACKSONS
9 HARTFIELD ROW
FORREST ROW
SUSSEX
Tel: 034 282 2885
D L Chittenden
59-61 THE BROADWAY
CHESHAM
BUCKS
Tel: 0494 784441
F PLATT
24 VICTORIA ROAD
HOLMFIRTH
HUDDERSFIELD
W YORKS
Tel: 0484 682036
Collingwood Radio
17 COLLINGWOOD ROAD
NORTHAMPTON
NORTHANTS
Tel: 0604 714770
LOGIC ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERS LTD
1 1 HIGH STREET
CODNOR
DERBYSHIRE
Tel: 077343411
H ROBERTSHAWS & SONS
51 SOUTHGATE
ELLAND
WEST YORKSHIRE
Tct 0422 72539
RELIANT TV
(St Annes) LTD
136 ST ALBANS ROAD
STANNES-ON-SEA
LANCASHIRE
Tel: 0253 726707
COLLINS & SMITH
UNICOLOUR LTD
164 LONDON ROAD
SOUTH
LOWESTOFT
SUFFOLK
Tel: 0502 61528
Allcock & Stevens
29 HIGH ST
WIVENHOE
ESSEX
Tel: 020622 2311
FRASERS HiFi
VIDEO SHOP
67 DEDWORTH ROAD
WINDSOR
BERKS
Tel: 06286 64333
P UNDERWOOD
58A HIGH STREET
IDSTOCK
LEICESTERSHIRE
Tel: 0530 60543
PATERSONS
OF STOCKBRIDGE
10 HAMILTON PLACE
EDINBURGH
Tel: 031 554 0355
J G Windows
1 17 CENTRAL ARCADE
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
Tel: 0632 321356
P TYSON
9 WEST TOWER STREET
CARLISLE
CUMBRIA
Tel: 0228 25891
J L MORLEY
(Prudhoe)
1 5 FRONT STREET
PRUDHOE
NORTHUMBERLAND
Tel: 0661 32244
E N L (EDDY'S)
116/118 ALFRETON ROAD
NOTTINGHAM
Tel: 0602 784015
CARVELL’S OF RUGBY
3/9 BANK STREET
RUGBY, WARKS
Tel: 0788 65275
HA TCHERS L TD
HIGH STREET
TA UNTON
SOMERSET
Tel: 1 823 72277
BURY ELECTRONICS
M A THE VAC SHOP
13 BROAD STREET
BURY
LANCASHIRE
Tel: 061 764 2904
FRENCH'S
199 CORPORATION
ROAD
NEWPORT
GWENT
Tel: 0633 63392
SKELTONS
32 HIGH STREET
LEOMINSTER
HEREFORDSHIRE
Tel: 0568 2638
QUINNS
68 WINDSOR ROAD
NEATH, GLAM
Tel: 0639 58026
STAN ROSSER
138 HIGH STREET
BARNET
HERTS
Tel: 01 -440 2575
ALPHA ELECTRONICS
19 NEWTON ROAD
MUMBLES
SWANSEA
Tel: 0792 67106
ROBINSON J V
89 HIGH STREET
HUNTINGDON
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Tel: 0480 56311
Van Haaren & Sons Ltd
232 CHINGFORD ROAD
WALTHAMSTOW
LONDON E 1 7
Tel: 01-527 3292/3
w
COMPUTERS
FRASERS HOME
ELECTRONICS
59 HIGH STREET
STONEY STRATFORD
MILTON KEYNES
BUCKS, MK11 1AY
Tel: 0908 569191
SQUIRE AV
28/30 NEW BROADWAY
LONDON W1 5
Tel: 01-567 1881
JH DONALD
6 RICCAR TON ROAD
HURLFORD
KILMARNOCK
Tel: 0563 26477
DIXONS TV
ELECTRICAL
7-9 WEST AVENUE
FILEY
N YORKS
Tel: 0723 512001
E W HEWITT LTD
19.3 GATELY ROAD
GATELY
CHESHIRE
Tel: 061 428 8080
S Westmoreland
UNIT 6
SAXBY ROAD IND EST
MELTON MOWBRAY
LEICESTERSHIRE
Tel: 0664 68848
QUESTAR ELECTRONICS
M A AUDIO TECHNIQUES
129 WALTHAM GREEN COURT
MOORE PARK ROAD
LONDON SW6
, Tel: 01-381 0108
A N AUDIO
46 MARKET STREET
ST NEOTS
HUNTS, CAMBS
Tel: 0480 72071
Boro Electronics
UNIT1
FORBES BUILDING
LINTH0RPE ROAD
MIDDLESBROUGH
CLEVELAND
Tel: 0642 217166
TYLERS OF BILSTON
4 HIGH STREET
B I LSTON
W MIDLANDS
Tel: 0902 41895
Dyce & District
13 BALMELUE STREET
TURRIFF
ABERDEENSHIRE
Tel: 0888 63467
RTS (Doncaster)
10 CLEVELAND STREET
DONCASTER
W YORKS
Tel: 0302 20771
C and L
(ELECTRIC) LTD
WALMGADE
YORK
Tel: 0904 55666
ALLEN SINCLAIR
6 CHURCH STREET
BASINGSTOKE
HAMPSHIRE
Tel: 0256 21307
Frank Platt
MARKET PLACE
MELTHAM
WEST YORKS
Tel: 0484 682036
any of the popular ‘se-
rious’ uses for a home
computer, such as word
processing, accounting, and
databases are unwieldy and
often Impractical If you have to
rely on a data recorder for
storage.
It is frustrating to sit for five
or ten minutes, twiddling your
thumbs, waiting for a program
or data to load.
The answer to the tedium is,
of course, to buy yourself a
flexible friend to allow you
access to your programs in
seconds — namely a floppy
diskdrive.
Unfortunately, Sony and
Spectravideo have been the
only MSX manufacturers to
offer disk drives to date. In the
latter case it's built into the
company's yet-to-be-released
X'Press micro. However, Toshi-
Three new disk systems
add up to more choice
for MSX users
ba, JVC and Mitsubishi are set
to broaden the range with the
introduction of three new disk
systems this autumn.
Like the Sony drive, they
have all elected to use the
robust 3.5inch disk format,
which has numerous advan-
tages over the older 5.25inch
and 8inch disks.
Not least of these is the rigid
casing which protects the deli-
cate recording medium. This
prevents what may be called
the ‘origami’ syndrome of
some computer users — that
is, the general bending and
folding that a disk is likely to
meet when carried from A to B
in jacket pockets, briefcases
and the like.
In addition, none of the disk
surface need be exposed until
the disk is safely placed in the
drive. A metal shutter ensures
thatyourdata is protected.
These new drives differ from
the Spectravideo and Sony
units in that they accept disks
vertically, not horizontally. As
it is virtually impossible to
perch a disk drive comfortably
on top of most MSX micros,
vertical drives are more conve-
nient to use, and take up far
less of your valuable desk
space.
All these units come in two
parts — a controller which
plugs into a computer car-
tridge port, and the unit which
contains the disk drive
mechanism. A ribbon cable
links the two. This snaps on to
both drive and controller car-
tridge, so may easily be re-
placed if damaged in some
way.
Of the three new disk units,
the Toshiba HX-F101 is the
most compact and arguably
the most stylish. The sober
black finish of the casing
complements the Toshiba pen
plotter and new HX-22 micro
beautifully. This unit accepts
single-sided, double density
disks.
A green lamp indicates that
the drive is connected to the
mains. Another indicator, a red
‘In Use' lamp, lights up when
data is being read from or
written to the disk. The only
control as such on this drive is
the grey button used to eject
disks from the drive
mechanism.
This, and the other drives we
boked at, had independent,
built-in power supplies. The
drive casing is adequately
ventilated, and overheating
seems very uni ikely to become
a problem.
Once set up, it becomes
clear that the Toshiba drive is
more than just a pretty face.
Data is stored and retrieved
with barely a whisper in re-
sponse from the drive.
Aside from the ‘In Use’ in-
dicator, the only sure way to
check that the disk is a I i ve a nd
well is to place your ear as
close to, or even on the drive
casing.
Inserting and ejecting disks
from the drive is a very smooth
process, which adds to the
general impression that this
product is of very high quality.
Not everything is perfect
though, as there is some
evidence of cost-cutting.
One example, albeit minor,
is the absence of a power-on
button. This is perhaps no bad
thing, as turning off the disk
unit while connected to an
operational computer can do
all sorts of nasty things.
Dust
The second, but more se-
rous niggle is the lack of a
oover over the drive slot to
protect the internal mechan-
ism. This leaves the disk read /
write heads open to various
arborne hazards — I ike dust. It
seems a bit pointless to have
the elaborate shutters on the
disks themselves while the
drive is relatively unprotected.
No manuals were supplied
with our review system, so we
can only hope that they are up
t> the same standard as those
supplied with the Spectravideo
X’Press.
The only software I ikely to be
supplied at present is MSX disk
Suppliers and Prices
Toshiba HX-F101
Price: £349.95 inc VAT
Toshiba (UK) Ltd
Frlmley Road, Frlmley
Camberley, Surrey
GU16 5JJ
Tel: (0276) 62222
JVC HC-F303
Price: TBA
JVC (UK) Ltd.
Eldon wall Trading Estate
6-8 Priestley Way
Staples Corner
London NW2 7AF
Tel: 01-450 3282
Mitsubishi
ML-30FD
Price: TBA
Mitsubishi Electric (UK)
Ltd.
Otterspool Way
Watford
Herts WD2 8LD
Tel: 0923 770000
BASIC, which comes in ROM
form in the interface cartridge.
There are no immediate plans
to offer MSX-DOS or CP/M.
Toshiba claims that it is wait-
ing until MSX-DOS is finalised
before shipping it with the
drives.
However, an MSX-DOS disk
supp I ied with the X'Press work-
ed perfectly with the Toshiba
drive, as it did with all the MSX
drives we tested. Surprisingly,
a CP/M 2.2 disk failed to load
on anything else but the Spec-
travideo.
Every time we tried to boot
the CP/M system disk on a
machine other than the X’Press
themachinejusthungup. That
suggests that the CP/M prog-
ram makes machinecodecalls
which are non-MSX standard.
At around £350, the same as
the Sony drive, the Toshiba
HX-101 is very expensive, but
with high quality to match. It
seems likelythatmanydealers
will offer good discounts, so it
is worth shopping around.
In contrast, whereas Toshi-
ba has moved up-market with
its new range of products, JVC
has made a disappointing
downturn with it HC-F303 disk
drive. After the elegance and
qual ity of construction evident
both on the company's micro
and particularly its data recor-
der, this drive comes quite a
few steps behind.
It still looks nice, in the
gunmetal grey livery we've
come to expect of JVC. It is
slightly larger than Toshiba's
drive and offers the same
amount of storage. The fea-
tures that were missing on the
Toshiba are present here,
namely a flap to protect the
drive mechanism and a power
button . The only indicator lamp
is for power.
Using the drive, it becomes
apparent why no ‘In Use' lamp
or equivalent is required. After
the blissful silence of the
Toshiba drive, the JVC unit
makes occasional little ‘crun-
ching’ noises while it works. It
is not excessively noisy — you
are just made aware of its
presence from time to time.
The insert/eject mechanism
feels coarse and rattly and
ejecting disks seems to be far
more forceful than it needs to
be. Many of these criticisms
are cosmetic. The drive works
perfectly well and is very
straightforward in use.
Again, no software or manu-
als were supplied, but the
system is guaranteed to be
supplied with MSX disk BASIC,
and with MSX-DOS a likely
addition.
The Mitsubishi drive we re-
ceived for review was similarly
disadvantaged in the manual
and software stakes. The Mit-
subishi ML-30FD isanunusual
piece of hardware for a number
of reasons. It is the largest of
the three drives we looked at
but that may easi ly be forgiven
when you understand the
reason why.
The drive casing may hold up
two 3.5inch units side by side.
Our review drive had the slot for
drive 2 blanked out. Presum-
ably you can pop along to
Mitsubishi ora suitable dealer
when you want to upgrade your
system and have a second
drive fitted. A switch on the
controller cartridge selects
single or double drive opera-
tion.
Wedge
The basic model offers
approximately twice the stor-
age of the Toshiba or JVC
drives, as it allows the use of
double-sided double density
disks.
The drive casing is not the
standard ‘bread-tin’ shape of
the other two — a wedge at the
front of the unit tilts the drives
to a more convenient working
angle for inserting and remov-
ing disks.
Overall, this drive had the
cheapest feel to it, but this is
more than compensated for by
the extra storage capacity. And
it certainly works very well,
being almost as smooth and
quiet as the Toshiba.
Prices are as yet unavail-
able, but Mitsubishi's Steve
Wankling confidently expects
the price to be ‘competitive’.
For users who are likely to
upgrade to a twin drive system
in the nearfuture, the ML-30FD
could provide the cheapest
solution. If priced at under
£400, then Mitsubishi’s drive
definitely the best buy out of
the three.
But should your concern be
style, quality and practical
good looks rather than mass
storage, then Toshiba has pro-
duced a diskdrive which leaves
even the Sony drive
— for all its charm — in
the doldrums.
■
L 0 N.D 0 IVS
MVild store
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cone toThe se€«c\ RusTS.
Ymaaha <X 5 m
MS/ MOSlC COMPuTtft ALU^AyS OKI
DEttOMSTdQTtOKl. SYSTEMS fRoM*. —
Pit 1»JCLV)\>^C, VMT
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A I a ft I ak»o *r/<s©AAi>s
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AK»D SOPTviACE (isac f£)/lSS ~ ISLAmD LOQiC
MUS\C iO^TviAAe C’ftfSC IV)
ALL Pft\CES include Vfi x
Part exchange
EASY srAcrr ^arkim^ - *to<ie leytonstome c.umc
Freedman s. cr7-6*s\ hkvh £oad
LEYtonstone uomDon E- II 4^A.
01-^39 02.8$ ^CLoS€i>TwoCiSl>AY3
JOTHAN SOFTWARE
FOR THE BIGGEST NAMES IN BUSINESS AND LEISURE SOFTWARE
ALL ORDERS DESPATCHED THE SAME DA Y WHENEVER POSSIBLE
ARCADE/ADVENTURE
ACTIVISION
RRP
OUR
River Raid
c
11.99
10.75
H.E.R.0.
c
11.99
10.75
Designers Pencil
c
11.99
10.75
Pitfall II
c
11.99
10.75
Beamrider
c
11.99
10.75
Ghostbusters
c
11.99
10.75
Space Shuttle
c
11.99
10.75
ELECTRIC
Shark Hunter
c
8.95
7.75
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Special Operations
c
6.95
5.95
SOFTWARE PROJECTS
Manic Miner
c
7.95
6.85
Jet Set Willy
c
7.95
6.85
QUICKSILVA
Games Designer
c
9.95
8.75
3D Ant Attack
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6.75
The Snowman
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6.75
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Mopiranger
r
17.40
16.00
Athletic Land
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17 40
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Circus Charlie
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Antarctic Adventure
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Monkev Academy
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17.40
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Hyper Sports 1
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Hyper Sports II
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17.40
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Track & Field 1
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17.40
16.00
Track & Field II
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17.40
16.00
Konami’s Tennis
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Sky Jaguar
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King's Valley
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NORWOOD PRODUCTS LT0
Mr Ching
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14.95
13.25
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Rollerball
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Super Billiards
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Hole in One
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Super Snake
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EDU CATIONAL
Maths 0 Level Examiner 9.95
Phys 0 Level Examiner 9.95
Chem 0 Level Examiner 9.95
Maths Invaders 7.95
IntroTo Numbers 9.95
Calculation I 9.95
Calculation II 9.95
Memory 9.95
Reflexes 9.95
Reasoning 9.95
French is Fun 7.95
Funwords 9.95
Let s Go MSX 9.95
Number Painter 8.95
WDPro 29.95
Home Budget 14.95
MST-Calc 12.95
Spreadsheet c 29.95
Spreadsheet d 39.95
Database c 19.95
Database d 39.95
Zen Machine Code c 19.95
Zen Machine Code d 29.95
Kuma Forth c 39.95
Kuma Forth d 39.95
Logo c 19.95
Pascal c 29.95
Devpac c 19.95
Champ Assembler c 12.95
RECREATIONAL
Hustler c 6.99
737 Flight Simulator c 9.95
Superchess c 8.95
Cribbage c 5.95
Gumshoe c 9.20
Supermind c 6 95
Supermaze c 6.95
Superpuzzlfe c 6.95
Contract Bridge c 9.95
Chall My Bluff c 9.95
Kn ss Kross Kquiz c 9.95
Colour Fantasia c 9.95
OUR
8.75
8.75
8.75
6.75
8.75
8.75
8.75
8.75
8.75
8.75
6.75
8.75
8.75
7.75
27.50
13.25
11.50
27.50
35.95
17.95
35.95
17.95
27.50
35.95
35.95
17.50
27.25
17.50
11.50
5.99
8.75
7.75
4.95
8.25
5.95
5.95
5.95
8.75
8.75
8.75
8.75
Cheques or postal orders please to:
JOTHAN SOFTWARE
65 Heol Gwys, Upper Cwmtwrch, Swansea SA9 2XQ
TEL: (0639) 830934
Please state which micro. Postage and packing included in the prices.
c = cassette d = disk r = rom cartridge
DISC WARRIOR
Travel the 3D computer complex alone on constant
alert for the android guards and robot canines.
Your mission— the cataclysmic destruction of the
master CPU. Armed only with your electrified ^
boomerang’ power disc, blast your way through
force barriers, defend yourself against enemies
whilst searching out parts of the master key and
constructing the superbomb before the ultimate
destruction can be achieved.
Send for full colour product leaflet (enclose a stamp)
Alligata Software Ltd., 1 Orange Street, Sheffield SI 4DW
Tel (0742) 755796
Software Limited
l
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:S<SLi
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rSyo;.
£29 95
A powerful and virtually full implementation of Standard
Pascal. A valuable educational and development tool in an
incredibly small size (19K) for such a complete language
compiler, compiles directly to Z80 code which executes very
quickly, typically at least 40 times faster than the BASIC
equivalent. INTEGERS, REALS, CHARs, ARRAYS, SETs,
RECORDS, POINTERS, IF .. . THEN . . . ELSE, CASE . . .
OF, WHILE ... DO, REPEAT . . . UNTIL, FOR ... DO,
fully recursive procedures and functions, value and variable
parameters etc. etc. So much that you will not believe it.
You MUST write for details.
MVMC
£ 19-95
An excellent, fast (4000 lines per minute) assembler coupled
with a powerful disassembler /debugger. So many features that
we cannot possibly do the package justice here - conditional
assembly, assembly from tape, macros, secreen and line editing,
full arithmetic, front panel debugger with disassembler, single
step, multiple breakpoints, modify, list and move memory etc.
Everything you need AND fully relocatable so that it works on
ALL MSX machines with more than 16K memory.
OP?
180 High Street North
Dunstable. Beds. LU6 1AT
Tel; {0582} 696421
All prices, UK delivered, relate to MSX versions. Our software
is available for many other Z80 machines e.g. Amstrad CPC
464, ZX Spectrum, Memotech, SHARP MZ700, NewBrain,
CP/M etc. Please write for details.
MSX
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Orpheus Ltd., The Smithy, Unit t. Church Farm,
Hatley St. George, Nr. Sandy, Beds. SG19 3HP
Tel. Gamlingay (0767) 51481/91 Telex 8171 17 ETHGEN G
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MONKEY
ACADEMY
How many problems
can Monta, the
arithmetic genius,
solve within the time
limit?
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YIE AR KUNG-FU
Kung-Fu master Lee
versus the evil family
of Chaohangs
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*891
CIRCUS CHARLIE
Experience the
excitement of the
circus as Charlie
tackles fire rings,
tightrope, balancing
acts, stunt riding and
the trapeze
KONAMI’S
TENNIS
It’s sensational, it’s
^ «5|
*jpp
it’s Konami’s Tennis!
H pm
ON AM I LT
SKY JAGUAR
It’s Year One of the
galactic era. A
mysterious fleetf rom
Zeifart Nebula have
invaded the earth.
The Sky Jaguars are
the earth’s last line in
defence. Can you
save the earth?
wR
Eastcote, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 9LS
LONDON
Tel: 01
Telex: 883978
FRANKFURT (W GERMANY)
Tel: 069-507-61 68
Telex: 4170450
OSAKA (JAPAN)
Tel: 06-345 2456
Telex: 5233186
• — «.*u “ ’ •^■4— OB‘t- ■ W~ . v> » _ * WOCW4
'ft®
Out of the 14 categories below are ten for
which Mitsubishi is known in f/7/scountry. All you
have to do is decide which ten, and write the
appropriate letters on a postcard, and send it to:
Mitsubishi Competition, What MSX? f 38/42
Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11
OJE. Entries should reach us by 14th October
1985, afterwhich we'll pull the three winnersout
of a bag. Now for the categories:
A) Computers
B) Hi-fi
C) Video
D) Calculators
E) I n-ca r enterta i nment
F) Motor cars
G) Diskdrives
H) Industrial robots
I) Dish washers
J) Cash registers
K) Television sets
L) Microwaveo vens
M) Cellular phones
N) Cameras
Here’s your chance to grab one
of the slinkiest MSX micros
around — the Mitsubishi MLF-80
F or pure quality of manufacture the Mitsu-
bishi micros take a lot of beating. The
keyboard is smooth and responsive
absolutely ideal for word processing or large
amount of programming. And the machine looks
pretty smooth too.
If this has w hetted y our appetite for a
Mitsubishi, don't go away. We're giving away
three of the MLF-80 models — that’s the 64K
model (Mitsubishi also makes a 32K machine).
It has all the normal features found on MSX
computers, plus that excellent keyboard.
Mitsubishi doesn’t just make computers,
although the company is well known in the
business micro field for high resolution moni-
tors and chips. It’s a h ighly diversified organisa-
tion — hence our competition idea .
» *0*4*2 roc
W
/
0r tAr*h
RULES
1. The Judges’ decision Is
final and no correspond-
ence will be entered Into.
2. No overseas entries can
be accepted.
3. The competition Is not
open to employees of
Haymar et Publishing, Mit-
subishi, their agents or
suppliers.
4. E ntries should be on a
postcard, with the entrant’s
name and address clearly
marked.
5. The closing date for
entries is 14th October
1985. The winners will be
the first three correct en-
tries drawn from the bag.
6. Winners will be notified
personally.
202 NEW KINGS ROAD
FULHAM, LONDON SW6
OPP. PUTNEY BRIDGE TUBE)
el: 01-731 5993
¥
INSTANT CREDIT AVAILABLE
(SUBJECT TO STATUS)
10 BADDOW ROAD
CHELMSFORD
ESSEX
Tel: 0245 352490
104-106 ELM GROVE
SOUTHSEA, PORTSMOUTH
HANTS.
Tel: 0705 820595
85 ST. MARY’S STREET
SOUTHAMPTON
HANTS.
Tel. 0703 26798
ALL PRICES SHOWN
INCLUDE VAT
VKA
CX5M
Music Computers
YAMAHA’S REVOLUTIONARY MUSIC COMPUTER
NOW AVAILABLE WITH NEW HARDWARE SOFTWARE!!
CX5M: A Computer Designed
Specifically for the Musician
The CX5m is a computer. But certainly not an
ordinary computer. It has been designed specifically
to be used by musicians, composers and arrangers,
both amateur and professional, to produce music in
ways that were never before possible.
The CX5M has a Yamaha digital FM voice generator
built-in — the same type of voice generator as our
DX series Digital Programmable Algorithm Synth-
esizers. That means it is capable of producing rich,
realistic sounds that are amazingly lifelike. In fact, 46
pre-programmed voices are provided. But you can
also program your own to create virtually any voice
you like, and save your original voices on a standard
cassette tape. With the YK-01 “mini” music keyboard
or the standard-size YK-10 music keyboard, the
CX5M becomes a high-quality performance synth-
esizer, with 8-note polyphonic output and a prog-
rammable split keyboard function.
The CX5M is also a tremendous tool for composers
or arrangers. You can compose music right on the
monitor screen, entering notes from the computer
keyboard or directly from the music keyboard. You
can arrange your composition for up to 8 parts, using
the pre-programmed FM voices or ones you have
programmed yourself. Compose, arrange and rearrange with ease — and hear the results immediately. A
built-in MIDI interface also makes it possible to use the CX5M as a sophisticated sequencer to control MIDI
compatible synthesizers, drum machines and other instruments.
There’s some really good news for DX7 synthesizer owners, too. The CX5M allows you to program your DX
synthesizer via the MIDI interface, with full on-screen parameter display — including graph-type envelope
G enerator waveforms so you can SEE what you’re programming.
he CX5M is a virtually indispensable tool for today’s musician. And with the constantly expanding line of
Yamaha CX5M music software, not to mention the increasing range of instruments that support MIDI control,
it’s a tool that will continue to grow in importance in virtually all music-related fields.
Call for the latest CX5 package price
NEW! I
NEW!!
NEW!!
NEW!!
NEW!!
DISK DRIVE AT LAST!
Yes, at last you can speed up the loading
and retrieval of data.
PLAYCARD READER
Now you can read and play the many
hundreds of Playcard programs directly
into the CX5!!
REAL TIME 4-TRACK
SOFTWARE
Yes, at last the 4-track recorder software.
RX DRUM MACHINE
PROGRAMMER
Now you can program Yamaha’s RX1 5
or RX1 1 with superb graphics!
MSX SOFTWARE
Many new games and educational
packages available.
Bulk purchase makes these A3 Plotters available at Vz original price!!
★ With Free XY01 ROM and 1 year warranty
The Model DXY is an economical Multi-
pen, X-Y co-ordinate plotter that
produces hard copy graphics in minutes
for all types of business applications and
technical disciplines.
Priced at under £200, it’s compatible with
the IBM, Apple and other personal
computers. It has built-in software
(expandable ROM) to interpret “BASIC"
commands. Just call or write for
complete specification on the Model DXY
Plotter. Ideal for end-user or OEM
applications.
£199 + VAT!!
★ Full A3 size
★ Easy exchangeable pens
★ Centronics interface
if Programmable in Basic
if Extension ROM included free
if Ideal for BBC B, Spectrum, MSX
and most personal computers
ALSO AVAILABLE AT VERY COMPETITIVE PRICES
THE COMPLETE RANGE OF ROLAND PG PLOTTERS!
DXY 980
Fast 230mm per
second • 0.05mm
resolution ■ Ink pens
usable ■ Electrostatic
paperholder ■ Digital
co-ordinate display ■
HP compatible
£POA!!
Limited special
offer!! "
IP&SV:
DXY 880
200mm per second •
0.05mm resolution • 8
pens ■ Operable up to
60° incline • Magnetic
paper holder •
Centronics RS232 •
HP compatible
£699!!
Limited special i
offer!!
★ LIMITED OFFER Send SAE for free information pack
DXY 800
180mm per second •
0 . 1 mm resolution • 8
pens • Operable up to
60° incline - Magnetic
paper strip •
Centronics RS232
£399!! *
Limited special / V*
offer!!
/ /
WMSX/Aut
104/6/8B Main Street, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16 2JH
Telephone: Bradford (0274) 568843/564389/561044
Yamaha
Hi Tech
CX5M
Authorised dealer
(Call in for a demonstration)
Also: QX7 — Digital recorder
QX1— 8 track FM digital composer/sequencer DX5— FM synthesizer
1X816— 8 module FM sound generator RX1 1 — Digital drums
KX88 — Virtuoso keyboard DX7 — Synthesizer
TX7— FM expander PF15 — Piano
Modern Music Stores
17 St Mary’s St
Edinburgh
Tel: 031-557 3986
90-94 Saltmarket
Glasgow
Tel: 041-552 6825
40 Mitchell St
Kirkcaldy '
Tel: 0592 260293
Elgin Street
Dunfermline
Tel: 0383 733353
No. 1 for YAMAHA Hi-Tech in Scotland
CX-5 in stock — phone us now
Access, Barclaycard and American Express welcome
msx CENTERS Zl
COMPUTERS — SPECIAL DEALS (P&P £5]
SONY'HITBIT’ FREE Joystick + 5 Games £285.00
SANYO MPC 100 FREE Light Pen + Recorder + Joystick £285.00
TOSHIBA HX1 0 FREE Joystick + 5 Games £99.95
S0NYHBD50 Disc Drive LOW LOW PRICE £320.00
PRINTERS — LOWEST PRICES [P&P £7]
SMITH CORONA FASTEX-80CPS £199.00
EPSON RX80/FT PLUS— 100CPS £275.00
EPSON LX80— 80CPS NEWWITHNLQ £275.00
EPSON LX80TRACTOR UNIT [FREE WITH PRINTER] £25.00
EPSON LX80 SHEET FEEDER UNIT £60.00
TALLYMT80 PLUS— 100 CPS £215.00
KAGATAXAN KP81 0 — 1 40 CPS WITH NLQ £285.00
MONITORS — FULL RANGE MICROVITEC & SANYO
PHILIPSBM7502HIGH RESGREEN £79.00
PHILIPSBM7522 HIGH RES AMBER £85.00
MICR0VETEC 1431 STANDARD RESCOLOUR £215.00
CTV/RGB MONITOR S — low price good performance
FERGUSON MC01 14"CTV+ RGB £215.00
HITACHI CPT1 444 1 4"CTV + RGB £209.00
SOFTWARE — wide range free p&p
SELECT FROM THIS ISSUE BUYERS GUIDE WE WILL SEND FREE OF P&P IN UK
H all prices include vat. subject to change without notice
FAST VAT FREE EXPORT SERVICE ve m
SUPPLIERS TO EDUCATION AUTHORITIES
p&h electronics Ltd
consumer electronics
COMPUTERS SALES & SERVICE
22 GUILDFORD RD.
BAGSHOT
0276 73078
5 THE PARADE
READING ROAD, YATELEY
0252 877222
CX5M MUSIC
COMPUTER
If you’re looking for a personal computer to make music, look no further! Yamaha’s
amazing CX5 offers the same incredible FM sound synthesizer quality as its
famous DX synthesizer series! Plus all the features of the innovated MSX computer
system!
The CX5M is an extremely versatile computer specifically designed for a wide range of music generation, programming
and editing tasks, and for interfacing with other Yamaha digital instruments and components The CX5M is a a MIDI com-
patible computer, allowing it to seive as a control centre for playback and automatic sequencing of the Yamaha DX senes
synthesizers RX drum machines and other MIDI compatible equipment
The CX5M also has a Yamaha digital FM voice generator built-in - the same type of voice generator that has put the
Yamaha DX senes Digital Programmable Algonthm Synthesizers at the forefront of the digital keyboard field That means
it is capable of producing nch. realistic sounds that are almost indistinguishable from acoustic instruments In fact 46 fine
voices are provided pre-programmed. But you can also program your own to create virtually any voice you like. And you
can save your onginal voices on a standard cassette tape
A wide range of applications programs, interface units and accessones expand its music making
potential enormously. ON PERMANENT
DEMONSTRATION
AT ALL BRANCHES
NOW!!
i m Pjyft
jyftj VSR*
Yamaha CX-5ME Music
Computer
Value for money! YAMAHA: CX-SME
Music Computer £449
YK>01 : Mini Keyboard £85
YK-IO: Full-keyboard £165
YRM-102: FM voicing ROM for internal
voices £36
YRM -101: FM Music composer ROM:
8 part, 8 different FM Voices for song
composition £36
YRM- 103: DX-7 voicing ROM: create
and edit DX-7 voices via MIDI £36
YRM >104: Music macro ROM: add
to programmes via MSX Basic £36
UDC-Ol: Data cartridge £65
CA-Ol : Single cartridge adapter £19
Also available :
ROM software 4 track real time seqt
ROM software RX rhythm editor
Other MSX standard programmes will
run on the CX-5, so now's the time
to buy a computer — the wait is over.
OPENING TIMES:
Mon-Fri 9.30am-6.00pm
Saturday 9.30am-5.30pm
Norwich Closed Wednesday
r * ST *STic
OFFER!.?
ALL ITEMS MAIL ORDER
DELIVERY UK
MAINLAND
FREE.
Everyone has a favourite
game. After much debate
we’ve put together a list
of what we think are the
20 best games around
B elieve It or not, it’s a
jungle out there. In the
office, the mounds of
software continue to pile up,
even If you sometimes have
trouble getting hold of It. But
amidst all this confusion there
are a few titles which stand out
from the crowd.
We’ve put all the MSX re-
leases through their paces —
some unkind people might call
it ‘playing games’, but we
prefertothinkof itas research.
Inevitably a few titles become
favourites, staying on our
screens longer than most. And
we thought you might like to
know which programs we like
best.
Of course, they’re all games.
That's not because applica-
tions and business programs
are of a lower standard, or
because of any lack of serious-
ness on our part. It's simply
that the most popular software
is a I ways the most enterta i n i ng
and enjoyable and that means
games. So here's 20 of the
best.
Before passing comment on
the individual games, it’s worth
pointing out that these titles
are simply the office
favourites. Even more than
other types of software, games
are at the mercy of personal
preference, or prejudice.
Some people go ape about
platform-type games, while
feeling lost in adventures —
and vice versa.
However, nearly everone
took a shine to Konami’s
Antarctic Adventure, with its
cute, hopping penguin. Around
the time that MSX was laun-
ched it was the most popular
game around. Well, alright, it
was the only game around.
Fortunately it was a good
start for MSX. The game has
superb graphics, with a
smoothly scrolling 3-D land-
scape. And, of course, there's
the now-famous penguin,
leaping over holes and avoid-
ing sea-lions (or seals, or
whatever — there's some con-
troversy over this matter).
As it’s a cartridge, the game
can be run instantly, with none
of the delay and possible
loading problems you get with
tapes. That made it the natural
demonstration game for MSX
manufacturers wanting to
show off their new micros.
Around the time of the
launch of MSX, you just
couldn't get away from Antarc-
tic Adventure. Nevertheless, it
still retains a special place in
our affections, even if we no
longer want to play it.
The one drawback with car-
tridges is that they cost more.
Konami games typical lysell for
around £16. You might think
that’s money well spent con-
sidering how fast and easy
cartridges are to use. And the
graphics are invariably excel-
lent. So if you're feeling well-
off, here are some more Kona-
mi titles we can recommend.
Of course, Konami has a
head start. Most of its MSX
titles have been converted
from coin-slot arcade origin-
als, and so are tried and
trusted.
The most notable examples
are the athletics games. There
are four at the moment —
Hyper Sports 1 and 2 and Track
and Field 1 and 2 (previously
called, and still subtitled, Hyp-
er Olympic).
In each case the format is
the same. There are three or
four events, each with a qual-
ifying level which you have to
beat. Achieve that, and you go
on to the next level — fail, and
it's back to the beginning
although you do get three
attempts at most events.
Some of the games involves
lot of keyboard pounding, par-
ticularly the running events,
while others, such as archery,
are down to timing and skill.
All four cartridges have a
combination of both. But the
one involving the highest
amount of skill, and so ulti-
mately the most rewarding, is
Hyper Sports 2, with skeet
shooting, archery and weight
lifting.
Some of the events have
little surprises in store. For
example, in the skeet shoot-
ing, if you manage to hit all the
clay pigeons, a squid flies
across the screen. Hit that with
the left barrel and a strange
blue bird appears which can be
shot several times. None of
this is in the instructions — it's
I eft for you to discover, which is
a nice touch.
Activision's Ghostbusters has superb graphics and sound, and variety
Sky Jaguar contains fewer
surprises, and the scrolling
isn’t as smooth as most of the
Konami games, but it still
created a few addicts in our
office.
It’s a basic shoot-’em-up
game, but with better graphics
than most. You move your
spaceship around, blasting
aliens who appear in a variety
of forms from the top of the
screen, while an ever-chang-
ing landscape scrolls by be-
neath you .
Unlike most games of this
type, you can move backwards
and forwards, as well as side
to side, and it’s certa i n I y one of
the better alien-bashing
efforts.
In complete contrast, Kona-
mi also produces Tennis. This
involves no deaths whatsoev-
er, alien or otherwise. Unless,
of course, you decide to kill
your computer because it
keeps beating you.
It’s a pretty good simulation
of women’s tennis, where you
can play against the computer
cr another player. If you start
winning against the computer
it retaliates by playing better.
The game cheats with the
rules in few places — you win a
setbybeingthefirstto six, with
none of that two game differ-
ence nonsense. But on the
whole it’s excellent — well
Melbourne House’s colourful adventure, The Hobbit , features graphics
Sorcery , from Virgin combines an adventure with fast arcade action
worth getting in in time for the
next Wimbledon.
Back to more conventional
arcade favourites, we have
Super Cobra, a pretty standard
Scramb/e-type game where
you fly over mountains in the
face of inevitably overwhelm-
ing enemies. It’s not original,
but it’s one of the best versions
around.
As if killing everything in
sight isn’t enough, there’s also
a mission. If you manage to
avoid or zap all of the aliens,
and refrain from ploughing into
the mountains, you get to
rescue a box — and then start
all over again.
There’s also an element of
that in King's Valley. This is a
platform-type game, where
you whizz around on several
levels, collecting gems, dig-
ging through floors and ridding
the place of ghosts, or rather
mummies.
As you might have guessed
from that last comment, the
action takes place in a pyra-
mid. The thing is, once you’ve
collected all the gems in one
pyramid, there’s another one
to get through, albeit a little
harder.
Should you clear out all the
pyramids, your little man does
a weird sand dance, and then
it’s back to the pyramids. It
sounds simple, but this is
possi bly one of the most enjoy-
able games Konami produces.
The only other game on
cartridge in our selection is
Super Snake, from HAL. This is
slightly cheaper than the
Konami cartridges, at around
£13.50, although that’s still
quite a lot to pay for a game.
It’s not exactly the most
sophisticated program, but
that could be its strongest
point. The idea is simply that
you guide a snake around
inside a rectangle, eating up
points and assorted fruits, with
the snake getting longer each
time it dines.
Of course, you have to avoid
eating yourself, and also stay
out of the way of some nasty
creatures. It’s an idea that’s
been around for a long time,
and this is a good version of it.
But although it may sound a
bit too basic for you , its lack of
complexity will appealtoyoun-
gerchildren.aswellasthoseof
us who enjoy a few hours of
mindless entertainment.
The rest of ourselection is on
cassette — a more ted ious and
fault-prone medium to use, but
much cheaper.
That lastpoint is particularly
true in the case of Mastertro-
nic, which is renowned for
producing low-price software.
But that doesn't mean that the
quality has to be equally low.
Finders Keepers is not only
remarkably good value, at
£1.99, it's also a very good
game. The format is the famil-
iar multi-screen platform type,
with you dashing around a
castle, picking up objects and
avoiding enemies.
The graphics are excellent,
the sound is amusing and the
enemies are especially mean.
Mind you, mean enemies are
pretty common in computer
games.
Zaxxon and Buck Rogers ,
distributed by Electric, have
their fair share of homicidal
aliens. Both titles sell at
around £10, and are fairly
faithful reproductions of
arcade classics.
Graphics are the strong
point here, with 3-D effects. In
the case of Zaxxon you get a
slightly side-on view, or, to be
more technical, the graphics
use isometric projection.
There's enough variation in
the games to keep you in-
terested, with alternate bouts
on the surface of the planet
and in deep space. And there
are enough differences be-
tween the games to make it
worth buying both.
Some of the games which
have appeared for MSX have
very familiar titles. That's be-
cause they became famous on
other micros, and have since
been converted to MSX.
The next bunch are good
examples of this. Manic Miner,
(Software Projects, £7), for
example, is one of the original
platform-type arcade games,
although Biagger (Alligata,
around £7) has improved on it
in terms of complexity and
graphics.
And then, of course, there's
Chuckie Egg (A&F, £7) which
kept the whole of this office
flf
More action from Ghostbusters
The penguin In Antarctic Adventure
HAL’s Super Snake In full slither
tO it. ■
i ■ o f dr % f two6d 1 »•
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A robbed house In Blagger
hooked for weeks. You might
th ink that once you’ve seen one
platform game you've seen
them all. But each of these
games has its own personality.
Manic Minerhasthef eel of a
classic. Chuckie Egg has some
of the cutest birds around, and
Blagger needs a calculating
mind as well as a quick wrist.
But if you're a real speed
addict then the game for you is
Boulderdash. This is like a
platform game without plat-
forms. You dash around under-
ground picking up gems and
trying to avoid being turned
into an electronic pancake by
falling rocks.
The speed at which you have
to move can be quite terrifying.
Fortunately the graphics, and
user controls, are up to it. If
you've a strong heart and
nimble fingers you’ll find it one
Dodge the pylons and zap the aliens In Electric’s version of Buck Rogers
Konaml has an excellent version of tennis called — wait for It — Tennis
Cut price quality — Mastertronlc’s
of the most exciting games
available. At about £6 in the
shops, Orpheus definitely has
a winner with this program.
The last classic arcade con-
version in our selection is
Beamrider from Activision. It's
also one of the simpler games
— basic, 3-D alien-zapping
action.
The graphics aren't particu-
larly detailed — contrary to the
main trend in computer
games. But they are bright and
extremely effective, especially
the grid which rushes towards
you as you fly along in your
spaceship.
In a sense, it's something of
a throwback to the days when
the only computer games were
played on dedicated games
consoles, of the type produced
byAtari . But Beamriderca n sti 1 1
produce thatrush of adrenalin,
Finders Keepers Is superb value
the sweat-soaked brow and
nervous look which distinguish
the hardened games player.
Mind you, at around £11 it's
somewhat over-priced.
That's certainly not true of
our last two arcade games.
There are some people in this
office who feel that Sorcery
could never be over-priced,
whatever the cost.
It's an intriguing combina-
tion of arcade action and
adventure. Not only do you
have to fend off nasty crea-
tures in a vast variety of
beautifully drawn locations,
but you also have to collect
objects whose functions in the
game are not always im-
mediately obvious.
One of the best features is
that much of the game goes
unexplained in the instruc-
tions. You simply have to sort it
Wear down those fingertips with Boulderdash from Orpheus
I
An excellent example of a good conversion — Manic Miner
O hc©
V CMJ JL 50 te<&
The final event In Hyper Sports 2 by cartridge kings Konaml
out fa yourself.
Things happen fast, and it’s
crucial to be able to keep track
of where you are, and where
you’ve been. The object is to
rescue a number of fellow
sorcerers. So, as in an adven-
ture, it’s important to be a ble to
find your way around.
With Ghostbusters, speed is
of the essence. You have to
dash around, ridding New York
of assorted ghouls, to avoid
the Marshmallow Man doing
all sorts of damage.
This game suffered a lot
from advance hype, which led
people to expect more than
they actually got. But the
graphics are very good, it
makes the most of MSX sound,
with the Ghostbusters theme
playing constantly in the back-
ground, and the concept is
highly imaginative. Activision
has given it an above-average
price of around £11, but it’s
worth it.
Finally, although we’ve
generally confined ourselves
to arcade action, wef eltwe had
to mention a few adventures.
After all, adventure games are
almost as old as computers
themselves.
The real classic type of
adventure is well represented
by Level 9’s Dungeon Adven-
ture. It’s a text-only game. But
what it lacks in prettiness it
makes up for in mind bending
complexity.
It features imaginatively
horrible creatures — likecarni-
vorous jelly and armed
skeletons — and ingenious
puzzles. It costs about £9 but
should keep you entranced for
weeks.
The same company also
Sky Jaguar prepares for battle
Riding the beams In Beamrlder
Track and Field makes Its point
Ghostbusters marshmallow
Shooting to win In Hyper Sport 2
produces Emerald Isle. It’s
perhaps not quite as complex,
but if things are going badly,
and you’ve just been killed for
the tenth time, at least you can
be cheered up by the pictures,
as each location has its own
graphics.
The pictures do take a while
to draw. But if you find them
slowing you down you can
always turn off the graphics
and revert to text only.
The Hobbit also has pretty
pictures. But here the main
feature is the language. Quite
complex sentences can be
entered and the program will
still understand them.
And there are those wonder-
ful characters which every
reader of the book (supplied
with the program) will come to
love. What’s more, they’re not
mere passive bystanders. They
The prices quoted i n the text
are typical of the prices
being charged in the shops.
Of ficial recommended re-
tail prices are typically one
or two pounds higher. For
more information about
stockists, and so on, con-
tact the manufacturers and
distributors on these num-
bers:
%&£ (0706)341111
Activision 01-4867588
Alligata (0742)755796
Electric (0954) 81991
HAL (04243) 5840
Konami 01-4292446
Level 9 (0494)26871
Mastertronic 01-4023316
Melbourne House
01-940 6064
Orpheus (0767)51481
Software Projects
051-428 9393
Virgin 01-7278070
are all wilful beings who’ll
wander off and do their own
things while waiting for you to
take some action.
Produced by Melbourne
House, for around £14, The
Hobbit is one of the most
entertaining adventures you’ll
find.
And that’s about it. You
probably won’t agree with our
selection — we had trouble
agreeing on it ourselves. But it
should give you an idea of the
range and quality of MSX h
software.
The software flood continues as manufac-
turers churn out a steady stream of MSX
titles . There's something for everyone —
from arcade games to educational prog-
rams . The cartridge is still king when it
comes to quality, at least as far as games
are concerned . But we 9 re also starting to see
very inexpensive, but high quality cassette-
based software . We've picked out a repre-
sentative selection of the recent releases
and put them through their paces, emerging
bog-eyed and bleary to give you our
thoughts. But remember, it's always best to
try out a program for yourself before parting
with the hard-earned readies!
The Wreck
Electric’s latest title is an
adventure based on a ship-
wreck. But it's an adventure
with a difference.
For a start it's three dimen-
sional, and furthermore
there's no text — it's purely
graphics.
Each copy of the game is
supplied with a manual and a
special location grid, both of
which are essential reading
before you start your journey.
The manual provides a pot-
ted history of your meeting
with a drunk in a bar (where
else!) which ends up with the
pairof you collaborating.
Your goal is to collect the
bullion which has been hidden
in a safe on the bottom deck by
the ship's captain.
The game is extremely com-
by Electric Software
plex as each deck appears in
the form of a maze with clues
placed at strategic points.
Just to make the game more
interesting — and give you an
incentive to persevere — Elec-
tric has hidden details of a
competition within the game.
The closing date is set for
Christmas and all you have to
do is crack the adventure and
notch up a high score.
According to Electric it’s not
easy and will take you a couple
of months to solve, but the
winner will be rewarded with a
solid gold ingot!
Even if you don't enter the
competition you'll be impress-
ed by the graphics, with realis-
tically scrolling corridors and
fast moving hostile beasties.
10
CASS: £14.95
Yie Ar Kung Fu
CART: £17.40
by Konami
Chop Suey and his Triad gang
have succeeded in throwing
the entire Chinese kingdom
into turmoil. Their ruthless
terrorist tactics spell ruin for
the country unless you can
save the situation.
Clad only in a pair of blue
pantaloons, you penetrate the
Bamboo Shoot pagoda and
surprise the evil gang. Against
a backdrop of Chinese lan-
terns, you find yourself facing
the first fiend — wicked Wang.
He's a nasty looking character
waving a quarterstaff.
Using all the fighting move-
ments in your repertoire —
straight punch, high kick, low
kick, foot sweep, and most
spectacular, a flying kick —
you fightagainstthis computer
controlled opponent. As well
as kicking you can duck, jump
up vertically and even leap
from one side of the opponent
to the other.
Other opponents include,
T errible Tao the flame wielder,
Chen the chainfighter, Lady
Lan the Starf I i nger and Wi ly Wu
who jumps through the air.
Points are awarded for
various fighting tactics and
defeating the opposition.
Graphic effects are brilliant
and the accompanying jolly
Chinese tunes alternating with
thuds as you hit each other are
excellent.
This game is programming
at its best. If you start playing
it, you won't be able to leave it
alone.
Anty
Morwood seems to have a
knackforchoosingsome pretty
bizarre-looking creatures and
turning them into novel and
entertaining games. And Anty
is no exception.
As the title suggests, the
game revolves around an ant
with voracious eating habits.
He consumes anything that is
edible and within reach — and
that includes fruit, leaves,
branches and the odd cup and
saucer.
The idea is to climb as many
trees as possible, eatallthatis
available and avoid the park
keepers who are out to get you
with their anti-ant sprays.
Anty can walk through any of
the flower beds but he must go
around the fences, and at all
by Morwood Products
costs avoid falling into the
pond — otherwise a I ife is lost.
Six lives may sound generous
but believe me you’re going to
need them all!
Although I enjoyed playing
Anty there are a few niggles
worth mentioning. Firstly, the
instructions are too brief.
Secondly there are no in-
dicators on the screen to show
which level you're on.
I also found that it took quite
a lot of practice before I could
actually get Anty to chew, the
secret being to hold the ‘X’ key
and the CURSOR keys firmly
down until you get a result.
Ant/s graphics are OK, but
for a price tag of £6.95, the
sound could be improved.
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CASS: £6.95
Midnight Building
by Panasonic
CART: £18.80
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Secret documents of great
value are lying hidden on the
first floor of a huge business
complex, just waiting for an
industrial spy like you.
As with the majority of secret
assignments you set off at
midnight, climbingthrough the
building's roof to find yourself
on the eighth floor. You have
only a torch and a stun gun.
Each of the floors is pictured
on screen as a blue maze and is
guarded by three athletic
security guards. Five white
keys lie around the maze and
the idea is to collect these,
open a red safe which in turn
unlocks the passage down to
the next floor. The mazes get
progressively more difficult.
But it’s midnight and the
floor is i n tota I da rkness except
for a square patch of light
emanating from your torch.
When you first appear on the
floor, it is bathed in light
enabling you to memorise the
key, safe and exit positions.
As soon as the darkness
closes in, only a small patch of
the maze is visible. If the
guards wonder into this light
they immediately head
straightforyou. If cornered you
have only four stun bul lets with
which to protect yourself — so
use them carefully.
Midnight Building is a maze
game with a difference; it’s
exciting and addictive and to
reach your goal, strategy, luck
and a steady nerve are essen-
tial. At *£18.80 it is a little
over-priced for what it offers,
but is still a jolly good game.
Minder
Anyone familiar with Minder
will love this computer game
spin-off. Arthur and Terry, of
course, are the two main
characters in the game whose
aim is to buy and sell goods.
Arthur startsoutwith£2, 000
and a few rather suspect items
such as bags of mushroom
compost.
He starts the fortnight bright
and early and has a choice of
four locations: Terry’s flat, the
Lock Up, the Winchester and
the Dealer Premises.
The Lock Up is the best place
to store his goods. Occasional-
ly Terry will be there so Arthur
can give him instructions such
as deliver, collect or dump
stolen goods. If Arthur fears
rough treatment, Terry wi
by DK’T ronics
mind him — for a price.
The whole game is based on
money — what Arthur can buy
or sell at the best price for
himself. Some of the con-
versations between Arthur and
the dealers in the Winchester
are fairly amusing.
Many of the regular dealers
become familiar after a while
as mugshots are displayed on
screen. Bundlesofadultmags,
rabbit hutches and garden
gnomes are all saleable mer-
chandise, but Arthur has to be
careful when Sgt. Chisholm
appears on the scene.
It takes getting used to, but
Minder is a challenging game
and is certainly worth spending
a few hours with.
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Chiller
by Mastertronic
CASS: £1.99
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Some dastardly person has
stolen the hero’s gi rlf riend and
locked her up in some ghastly
haunted house. Her boyfriend
is understandably a little dis-
tressed by this and sets out to
get her back.
Making life difficultare giant
spiders, webs and blue
mushrooms. If any of these are
touched by the boy, his energy
quotient is reduced . It’s impor-
tant to keep an eye on the
energy meter as once that runs
out he’s had it. Fortunately
energy can be replenished by
eating purple mushrooms.
Once all the crosses have
been gathered , the boy has to
make his way through a cine-
ma, avoiding falling snow-
flakes and old women. If he
managesto col lectthe crosses
he moves into the ghetto .
The ghetto graphics are
messy, making it hard to dis-
tinguish the various ghouls,
bats and zombies from the
crosses. Once the ghetto has
been safely negotiated and all
crosses collected he passes
into the graveyard, literally
crawling with horrible crea-
tures. Finally he gets to the
haunted house.
She appears at the door, but
as soon as happiness seems to
be theirs, their troubles start
alloveragain — theyhavetogo
back the way he came.
Chiller’s sound effects are
fairly good, but co-ordination
between the controls and the
boy’s actions on screen could
be improved.
Still, for£l. 99, it is certainly
worth the money.
Zakil Wood
One fine day an evil crook
called Grod crept into a village
at the edge of Zakil Wood and
stole the priceless vi I lage ruby.
Someone has to undertake
the dangerous and physically
demanding voyage into the
woods, and there are no prizes
for guessing who!
To help you with your quest,
Mr M icro has obviously gone to
a lot of trouble to illustrate
each location with bright col-
ourful graphics. Not only do
they enhance the game, but
they also appear very quickly.
In so many graphic adven-
tures, the would-be adventurer
has to wait ages for the pic-
tures to appear.
Imaginative and humorous
characters and descriptions
such as Pyral the slimy, two-
by Mr Micro
headed monster, or the recipe
for two bat’s eyes, one Warlock
hair and four angel tears, give
the game its whimsical charm.
Zakil Wood is an excellent
game for both novice and
seasoned adventurers be-
cause it will captivate an
inexperienced person long
enough to solve the clues whi le
presenting a real challenge.
There is no SAVE facility,
mainly because the game can
be solved in 130 moves. Every
time you die, your percentage
score and the number of moves
made is given.
At £7.95, Zakil Wood will
provide a lot more entertain-
ment than some similarly
priced arcade games and is
great value.
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CASS: £7.95
Gridtrap
CASS: £1.
by Livewire Software
Defusing time bombs is not
everyone’s idea of having a
good time, but Livewires’ Grid-
trap is ail about this rather
morbid subject.
On screen, you are pre-
sented with a grid made up of
square blue blocks. Studded
all over these blocks are skulls
and crossbones, red flags and
purple time bombs.
You are controlling a green
top-hatted head and have the
dubious task of walking round
the grid defusing five of these
time bombs in order to pass
onto the next level. The bombs
don’t all appear at the same
time and when they do appear
their location is completely
random.
The strategic aspect of the
game is provided by the fact
that blocks disappear as soon
as you’ve passed over them. As
you can’t move over empty
space, you have to be careful
not to walk yourself into a
corner.
Danger is created by
wandering yellow boots and
the skulls. If you bump into
either of these, one of your
three lives is instantly lost.
One or two players can
participate and a high score
table promotes a sense of
competition. The graphics are
not especially good and the
controls unresponsive.
Gridtrap is an innocuous sort
of game — it’s not an exciting,
fun packed game, but it’s
playable, needs some
strategic thought and probably
worth the £1.99.
Illegus
by Panasonic
Al-Mazar, a mysterious, inhos-
pitable planet, is covered by a
vast network of mazes. You
have drawn the short straw and
find yourself in the first maze,
with no food, water or light.
Somehow you have to escape
from not one but 10 mazes,
In full daylightthe labyrinths
are all coloured green and
yellow. Your path through the
maze is bri 1 1 iantly portrayed on
screen as if you were actually
standing inside one of the
labyrinth corridors, the maze
walls looming up on either
side. Various shades of green
help to give each labyrinth a
three-dimensional look.
Various objects, both
dangerous and useful, lie
around the maze, although the
graphics are so indistinct it is
hard to distinguish what is
what. Food and water will
increase your energy.
Maze guardians or robots
annihilate you on sight unless
you get them with a laser gun
first. Falling into dark pits also
results in instant death.
Infra-red viewer spectacles
are essential for night time
viewing as when the red sun
sets, the maze turns dark blue
and black making it virtually
impossible to see.
Headingforthesun, symbol-
ised by a red cross, is the best
plan. Mapping out the laby-
rinths on paper is quite diffi-
cult, so you need a good sense
of space and direction.
7
CART: £18
Lazy Jones
by Terminal Software
Lazy Jones is so lazy that just
thinkingaboutworkgives him a
heart attack. But, I ike everyone
else, hehastoearna livingand
so gets a hotel cleaning job.
The hotel is one with a
difference because although it
appears quite normal — three
floors, 16 rooms, a lift between
floors and potted plants in the
corridor, not all of the rooms
are bona fide bedrooms.
In fact most of the rooms
contain some sort of computer
game. Helping Lazy Jones to
play every one of these and to
win lotsof points isthe purpose
of the program.
As he wanders along the
corridors, his arch enemies,
the hotel manager, his ghost
and the dreaded cleaning trol-
ley appear. If Jones fails to
jump over or avoid them by
diving into a room, he loses
one of his nine lives.
Once in a room, Jones is
either faced with one of the
many different types of arcade
game or something more mun-
dane, such as a toilet or broom
cupboard.
In Turk, one of the games, he
has to shoot forks at a turkey
laden conveyor belt while
avoiding flying telephones at
the same time. InResQ, he has
to fly around a jungle rescuing
mad gorillas and in Outland he
must annihilate revolving
space craft as they try to land.
Once all the games have
been played, Jones moves
onto a second, faster level.
Both the graphics and sound
are of excellent quality and at
£8.95, Lazy Jones is a must.
CASS: £8.95
First Steps
by Mirrorsoft
Roger Hargreaves’ Mr Men
books and TV programmes
have been a tremendous suc-
cess with children all over the
world and their inclusion in
M i rrorsoft’s educational series
seems to be the logical choice.
A book fu 1 1 of bright col ourfu I
pictures accompanies each of
the stories and is written in the
familiar Hargreaves style.
Mr Greedy, the star of the
firstgame, is as usual starving.
He wanders into a huge room
which is empty except for a
huge ice cream cone sitting in
a corner. Al I the child has to do
is direct Mr Greedy, a funny
little creature with floppy arms
and a waddling gait, to the ice
cream.
Mr Silly's hat game is the
next story. Four shelves con-
tain 16 hats, each shaped and
coloured differently. The one
he wants to try on appears in a
‘think bubble.’ By moving the
cursor to the relevent hat and
pressing RETURN it reappears
on top of his head.
The last two games both
feature Mr Forgetful and 12
wardrobes. In one game six
pairs of footwear are distri-
buted so that one of each pair
is inside a wardrobe. Mr
Forgetful has to open each
door and match up the six
pairs. Letters replace the foot-
wear in the last game.
As educational programs go,
this is quite good and kids will
love it.
by Rittor Music
Trigonometry
by Morwood
Odyssey-K
CAS: £11.95
Asyet there haven't been many
music programs available for
MSX, but the situation is
changing and the latest addi-
tion is Rittor’s Odyssey-K.
To whet the appetite the
program starts off with a rendi-
tion ofScottJoplin's The Enter-
tainer , also known as the
theme tune to The Sting.
Once the novelty has worn
off you are left with a menu
offering 12 different func-
tions. At this stage we should
point out that musical know-
ledge is a must.
By choosing the appropriate
function you can compose a
masterpiece, alter the tempo
or, if you don't I ike it, complete-
ly change it.
Odyssey-K s great versati I ity
allows you to alter the three
recording channels and pro-
duce some pretty unusual
sounds, alter sections, over-
dub and check each channel
individually to see if the
melody is quite as you expect.
The main disadvantage with
the program is that it doesn't
allow you to play two or more
notes simultaneously. Also, it
can only play in 'real' time so
you have to make sure that
what you're inputting is cor-
rect; in other words the notes
are recorded exactly as you
play them. If you're a lousy
musician it will reflect your
mistakes.
For £11.95 you can hardly
expect the qual ity of a modern
synthesizer, so it's a good
place to start if you are serious-
ly interested in composing
music but can't afford to go for
the real thing.
Trigonometry is the sort of
subjectyoucaneitherdooryou
can't. If you can, read no
further; if you can’t, this set of
three cassettes may be the
answer to your trig troubles.
Aimed at 11 to 14 year olds,
the program sets out to define
all the important equations
and definitions involved in
trigonometry dealing with the
relation of the sides and
angles of a triangle.
Although it doesn’t go into
the subject in extensive detail
it will help anyone having
difficulty trying to understand
the difference between a
cosine and a tangent.
Before leaping into the more
complicated concepts of trigo-
nometry, a right angled triang-
le is first defined; both in words
and with a diagram containing
a pink square in the 90 degree
angle. All formulae and defini-
tions are similarly illustrated.
Everything is made to sound
very simple and just to make
sure you've got the gist, five
simple problems are posed, for
instance ‘What is the length of
the Hypotenuse?' These are
probably too simple as in a
classroom situation a similar
question might be posed in a
more cryptic style.
Although most 11 to 14 year
olds need a lot more informa-
tion than is provided, the
program is worth £7.95.
CASS: £7.95
Turmoil
CART: £18.8
by Panasonic
4
Panasonic hasn't released
many titles (which are under
copyright from Japan) for the
UK market and after playing
Turmoil we can see why!
The stay goes as follows;
your starship has entered an
area of space where you are
restricted to vertical and hori-
zontal movements.
While battling against the
enemy you must also collect
alien eggs which, if left, will
hatch and come after you.
There are nine levels of play,
level one being the easi est a nd
nine the most difficult. But you
don't have to work through all
the levels. Pressing the
SELECT key allows you to
choose which level to play.
If you get bored with Turmoil
the game can be temporarily
suspended by pressing the
ESCAPE key.
The blurb on the cartridge
box makes the game sound
exciting and action-packed.
It's certainly the latter and
there are a good many games
players who en joy wh i I i n g away
the time clocking up high
scores and blasting every ob-
ject in sight.
But we prefer games with a
little more meat and screens
that aren't carbon copies of the
first one.
Turmoil has limited appeal
and the novelty will probably
wear off after a couple of
hours. It's a pity because some
of Panasonic's other titles
offer excellent value. Unfortu-
nately it's picked the wrong
game to show off Japanese
programming. We can think of
much better titles that warrant
an £18.80 price tag.
Icicle Works
Boulderdash, one of the
games mentioned inourtop20
games round-up, was a great
success when it first came out
in America on the Atari games
system. Since then the idea
has often been borrowed.
Icicle Works is very similar to
Boulderdash in theme, but has
enough distinguishing fea-
tures of its own.
The player controls a little
man and before he can enter
anyofthe 13differentscreens,
a giant key has to be picked up.
It is important to choose a
good route through the levels
because very strict time limits
are i m posed if you go a long the
wrong route.
Each level is fraught with
dangers; snowballs, polar
by State Soft
bears, penguins and iced
water. In most levels the idea
is to dig out various combina-
tions of snowballs, avoiding
being crushed as they topple.
By dropping snowballs onto
grids, penguins or polar bears,
pa rts of a toy such as a boat or a
radio are revealed. As these
are collected they appear on
screen and once the toy is
complete, the man can move
onto the next level. You need
superb timing.
Icicle Works is extremely
addictive and once you've got
over the initial disappointment
of the man's slow movements
and the jerky and inefficient
screen scrolling, you won't be
able to pull yourself away.
Number Painter
CASS: £8.95
by ASK
7
Mathematics can be fun . ASK's
educational program, Number
Painter, demonstrates this
well by incorporating quite
complex sums utilising addi-
tion, subtraction, multiplica-
tion and division into a plat-
form game.
All action takes place on a
building site featuring iron
girders, buckets of paint, lad-
ders and three painters. Before
starting the game, the player
has to choose a difficulty level
from a range of 12 as well as
the type of painter from a
choice of four.
Along the top of the con-
struction site scenario are two
numbers; the TOTAL and the
TARGET. Lying around the gir-
ders are various numbers with
minus, plus, division and mul-
tiplication signs in front of
them. By painting some of
these numbers with his paint-
brush, the painter should be
able to manipulate the TOTAL
number so that it is exactly the
same as the TARGET number.
Level one isfairly simple, but
in level 12 the numbers go up
to 1000 — we found some of
the mathematics here pretty
difficult!
As the painter paints each
number, a bucket rises a little
bit, and if he takes too long
getting to the right answer the
bucket ti ps over a nd covers the
screen in green paint.
Some of the levels are diffi-
cult, buttheyare real sums and
all youngsters from five to 14
should benefit.
Gang Man
by Hudson Soft
In the world of gangsters,
displeasing an enemy gang
inevitably means that you can
kiss this world goodbye.
This is precisely the rather
unhealthy situation in which
you find yourself in this game.
You’re making a get-away in a
red sedan, but the hoods, clad
in disgusting purple jumpers
which clash glaringly with their
carrot-coloured hair, are after
you and they’re not armed with
water pistols either.
On screen, you are given a
bird’s eye view of the road
where all the action takes
place. Your man, dressed up in
a green sweater and lemon
yellow Homburg — no taste
these gangsters — is also
armed with a gun and loads of
ammunition.
In the first level, he only has
one gangster to contend with.
If he can kill him within the 10
second time limit he gets a
bonus score.
Running over bags of gold
and diamonds lying in the road
also fetches bonus points.
Controlling your gun takesa
little getting used to because
the gun fires in the opposite
direction to the one in which
you’re moving.
Sound effects are excellent;
sounds of cars purring along
the road are interspersed with
realistic gun shot noises.
Graphicsare typically colourful
and realistic.
Gang Man is fairly addictive
and will entertain those of you
with a violent bent for hours.
CASS: £7.95
Star Seeker
by Mirrorsoft
CASS: £9.95
Have you ever gazed into the
night sky, and wondered about
the origins of the universe or
whether there’s life on Mars?
This program won’t answer
those questions, but it will tell
you what you’re gazing at.
If you are interested in astro-
nomy, or even have passing
interest, you may find this
package interesting.
On the first side, Star Seeker
allows you to set your location
on Earth and then look at any
portion of the sky.
A star map is drawn, using
crude graphics. You can then
obtain a print-out of the screen
or ask the computer for in-
formation on any of the stars
shown.
If you’re interested in con-
stellations the program will
'join up the dots' to show the
various groupings.
The second program is Solar
System. This gives you planet
positions as well as details
about things like their bright-
ness.
Perhaps the best part of this
program is the moon informa-
tion. For any date and time
you're given the position of the
moon and its phase — the
latter being backed up by a
simple diagram.
Other facilities include sun-
set and sunrise times and the
f aci I ity to trace the orbits of the
planets, although the plotting
is horribly slow.
The graphics are primitive
and the overall screen pre-
sentation merely adequate.
But the program could be
invaluable to those who take
an interest in the stars.
Rolling two arcade games into
one should combine the thrills
and spills of each one to
produce an exciting addictive
megagame. Unfortunately
Shnax, although a mixture of
two popular games, Pacman
and Pinball, is both frustrating
and irritating.
This is a shame as it does
have some attractive features.
The first screen to appear is a
vividly coloured angular maze
filled with white dots.
The aim of the game is to
guide a bright blue munching
creature round the maze gob-
bling these dots up. Life is
complicated by several spider-
like creatures which appear
out of nowhere and chase you
around.
Control of the creature is
difficult — we tried several
joysticks, but found the con-
trols jerky and slow, and mov-
ing round corners was an
action strenuous enough to
bring sweat to one’s brow.
Bonus points can be gained
by passing over shields, pogo
sticks, mirrors and homes.
Passing over a home square
enables you to return to the
starting position atthe press of
a fire button, but the effect
doesn't last long. Moving over
the mirror can move you to the
opposite side of the maze.
Altogether there are ten
different levels, each one get-
ting a bit faster, but as the
joystick controls are so bad, it
is doubtful that anyone will
ever reach the top.
4
CASS: £6.95
LORDS OF TIME
CASS: £9.95
by Level 9
10
Nine evil timelords are med-
dling with the earth's history
and Father Time has decided
you are the only person brave
enough to save the world.
Of course, defending history
is no easy task. Somehow, you
have to travel backwards and
forwards in time collecting
nine unusual items. When
amassed these have to be
presented to the nine nasty
lords.
Lords of Time is a brilliant
text adventure and surpasses
Level 9's consistently high
standards. It is text only, but
the descriptions of characters,
places and objects are so
ingenious that graphics would
be superfluous.
Imaginations can run riot ir.
this game and as you wander
round the various time scenar-
ios you meet Roman guards,
fire breathing dragons and
splendid androids.
Objects such as minstrel
lutes, casks of ale and galactic
groats lie around waiting for
you to steal. However some of
them can get pretty unpleasant
if picked up without permission
— but we won't spoi I the fun by
telling you which ones!
Puzzles and cryptic clues
abound and all you haveto do is
move around with your eyes
wide open examining every-
thing and anything for clues.
All Level 9 adventures are
good, but for £9 95 you'd be
hard put to find a computer
game of better value.
Aackotext
If a computer system is serious
about trying to sell to the
business market, it needs de-
cent business-like software
like Aackosoft's word proces-
sing program.
The first thing you notice is
the superbly packaged, ring-
bound manual. The software is
slipped into pockets and is
supplied on both tape and
3.5inch disk.
Using the word processor
couldn't be easier. The ESCape
key toggles the program be-
tween the editing mode and
the main menu.
From this menu you can
access features such as prin-
ter formatting, saving to and
loading from disk and tape,
and so on.
by Silversoft
The program has many fea-
tures — search and replace,
multiple copies (when print-
ing) and b lock move, where you
can shunt around large
amounts of text.
Aackotext is not as versatile
as fully professional word pro-
cessors. Nor does it have the
same range of features as
Kuma's WDPRO. But it is
adequate for writing letters
and average length articles.
Text is restricted to 40 col-
umns in edit mode, but Aack-
osoft has devised a cunning
graphic method of showing the
text in its formatted form. All in
all, it’s a worthwhile invest-
ment.
1
{
L 1
8
,
DISK AND CASS: £39.10
Master of the Lamps
CASS: £11.
by Activision
1
r
Abunch of mischievous genies
have turned a once peaceful
land into a lawless chaotic
hell. One day, a happy young
prince, anxious to prove his
worth, decides to rid the coun-
try of these magical pests.
There are three sections to
the game. Starting with Seven
Trials is the best plan because
the tunnels are easier to navi-
gate. The prince, riding a
magic carpet, has to pass
through a tunnel of colourful
diamond shapes.
Guiding him through is no
meanfeatasthetunneldipsup
and down and sways from side
to side. Hitting the side causes
the prince to restart the level.
Once through, he has to hit
one of a row of eight colourful
gongs three times. A turban-
ned genie appears, blows his
hookah and produces smoke
balls (two puffs on level two,
three puffs on level three and
so on). These turn into col-
oured notes.
If the prince can hitthe gong
of the same colour before the
notes hit the ground, he goes
onto the next level a nd part of a
lamp appears. If seven levels
are finished, the lamp is com-
pleted.
Throne Quest i s the real test.
Not only do three seven-piece
lamps have to be completed,
but the scenarios get more
complicated.
Sound and graphic effects in
Master of the Lamps are su-
perb. To sum up, it’s a chal-
lenge and deserves to be
played.
Cards
We're always being told that a
home computer can be used as
an address book or filing
system. But usually the soft-
ware isn't up to it, and most
people find themselves going
back to pen and paper.
Cards could change that. As
the name suggests, the prog-
ram is based on an index card
type of system .
Entering information is ex-
tremely simple. As well as the
text actually on the card, the
various headings down the
side, such as address, tele-
phone number, and so on, can
be edited in an instant.
Being on cartridge the prog-
ram runs straight away. That’s
important as you usually want
to get to the information quick-
ly. Once the program is run-
by Computermates
ning, however, you still have to
load in the data. This can be
quite slow if you’re using
cassettes, so a disk drive is
recommended for this.
One particularly useful fea-
ture is the facility to hit a
function key and obtain a quick
printout of the card on the
screen.
There is, of course, a search
facility. What marks out this
program is the speed at which
the search operates. It’s
almost instantaneous — very
impressive.
Like the other Computer-
mates programs, Cards is
aimed at the serious user —
hence the price. But it’s worth
every penny.
10
CART: £39.95
When you buy a JVC Computer
choose free software to the value of
£100 from nearly 200 titles
230 Tottenham Court Rd., London
01-580 3702
242 Tottenham Court Rd., London
01-636 6500
When you buy a JVC COMPUTER
choose free software to the value of £100
from nearly 200 titles.
Come and see us now at:-
Guildbourne Centre,
Worthing, BN111LZ
Tel: Worthing 35416
or 200655 (Retail)
Stanley
Productions
of JVC's MSX
Centres
visit our
showroom
for a demonstration
of the MSX Computer
Stanley Productions Ltd
147 Wardour St
London W1
01-439 0311
01-437 5472
01-734 4411
Telex 269836
JVC
WESTMINSTER
AUDIO CENTRE
why buy a
computer for
the present?
When you can buy
a JVC MSX for
the future!
From
Westminster
Audio Centre
169 Piccadilly, W1
01-493 7392
34 Parliament St., SW1
01-930 6975
97 Wigmore St.
01-486 8610
IF YOU ARE AN MSX
RETAILER PLEASE CONTACT US.
PROFIT FROM OUR EXPERIENCE
AND OUR
24 HOUR DELIVERY SERVICE
WE CARRY A
FULL RANGE OF
MSX
SOFTWARE
EXPORT ENQUIRIES WELCOME
esis Distribution Ltd., 2 Ifffley Road, Hammersmith, London W6 OP A. Tel: 01-741 2299
A huge selection of
business software is now
within the grasp of MSX
users. We find out why
A fter having spent months
being bewitched, bat-
tered or bewildered by the
excesses of computer termi-
nology, the last thing that you
will want to do is step into the
murky world of the Disk Oper-
ating System (or DOS if you
collect acronyms).
However, if you own a floppy
disk drive, or are thinking of
buying one, the chances are
that you will find an operating
system lying in wait for you in
the box.
So what is an operating
system? An operating system
looks after all those nasty bits
of hardware leaving you to get
on with the task at hand. In
fact, most of the time, you
don't even know that it’s there.
Occasionally, you may want
to copy a disk or some files, or
format a disk (initialise the
disk so that it may be read
from, or written to by the
operating system) but that is
normally most of what you
need to know. Unless, of
course, you feel like ex-
perimenting.
The operating system is
probably far more important to
the programmers than it is to
program users, despite all the
ballyhoo about how important
it is for an operating system to
be user-friendly.
The DOS sits between the
hardware and your programs,
looking after your files, prin-
ters, RS-232 ports, and indeed
any resource which may be
attached to your computer. It
organises your floppy disks,
fetches information for you,
and generally makes the com-
puter more acceptable as a
tool of work, rather than some
confusing collection of silicon
chips.
It’s worth tracing the evolu-
tion of operating systems by
looking right back to the
1950's — the stone age of
computers.
In those days, programmers
needed to be technicians as
well, often fiddling with the
hardware more than actually
programming in the language
of the day— FORTRAN.
He would spend much of his
time shuffling punched cards,
which were used to enter
programs and data (nothing as
sophisticated as VDUs and
keyboards then!), often load-
ing and reloading programs
until all the bugs were ironed
out.
After a few years of this
tedium (around 1960), steps
were taken to automate some
of this manual work to make
the programmer's life a little
easier. Simple operating sys-
tems were born — deriving
their name from the fact that
they helped ‘operate’ the com-
puter for you.
Over the next decade or so,
more and more tasks were
taken on by increasingly soph-
isticated and powerful operat-
ing systems. The net effect of
this progress was to ‘insulate’
the computer user from the
hardware — all that they really
needed to know was howto use
the operating system, the
hardware held much less in-
terest for them.
These computers were all
very large (mainframes) and
very expensive. The man on the
street had to wait until the
1970s for the arrival of more
affordable computers.
The semiconductor giant In-
tel produced the world's first
microprocessor chip, the
i4004, which was — believe it
or not — a four-bit computer!
Originally designed for use in
calculators, its potential in
other applications, such as
simple industrial controllers
(in a washing machine for
example), was soon realised.
The 8-bit i8008 arrived in
1974, a device designed for
use in computer terminals, to
be followed by the chip that
really started the micro-
processor revolution — the
i8080. This chip has had many
descendants, including the
Z80 found in MSX computers,
CP/M 2.2
SYSGEN
Create versions
COMMAND
of CP/M
SUMMARY
TYPE
Display
contents of a
ASM
Run the
file
Assembler
USER
Set user number
DDT
program
Load and run
MSX-DOS
the debugger
COMMAND
DIR
Displays
SUMMARY
directory
BASIC
Go to MSX-
DUMP
Display file in
BASIC
hexadecimal
COPY
Copies file(s)
ED
Edita file
DATE
Displays and
ERA
Erase file
sets date
LOAD
Load a program
DEL
Deletes file(s)
MOVCPM
Create a copy of
(ERASE)
CP/M
DIR
Displays
PIP
Perform file
directory
operations, e.g
FORMAT
Formats a floppy
concatenation,
disk
copying, case
MODE
Sets screen
conversion etc.
width/mode
REN
Rename file
PAUSE
Sets a pause in
SAVE
Save a file
a batch file
STAT
Give status of
REM
Allows a
various devices
comment in a
and files
batch file
SUBMIT
Cause CP/M to
REN
Renames a file
accept
(RENAME)
commands from
TYPE
Lists the
a file instead of
contents of a
console
file
and the 8/16-bit 8088 found i n
the IBM PC, amongst others.
The MITS Altair became the
first microcomputer system
and what was to become
Microsoft BASIC was devel-
oped for it.
Peripheral technology was
also progressing in leaps and
bounds at this time. A number
of companies, notably Shu-
gart, were developing floppy
disk units to replace slower
and less reliable cassette sys-
tems.
In 1974, Gary Kildall, then a
consultant at Intel, produced
the basis of what was to
become CP/M (Control Prog-
ram for Microcomputers) .
CP/M spread throughout the
microcomputer industry like
wildfire, becoming the de fac-
to standard for 8-bit micro-
computers. It is still very much
alive today, offered on a large
number of computers includ-
ing the Tatung Einstein and
now MSX (on the Spectravideo
X' Press).
Not only does the system
'manage' your computer for
you, but it also supplies a
numberof utilities includingan
editor to create programs, and
an assembler and debuggerf or
machine code buffs.
‘One of t he beauties of
CP/M is t hat the user
interface looks the
same on all computers
running CP/M’
A huge number of programs
have been designed to run with
CP/M, including Wordstar
(wordprocessor) , DBASE II
(database) and Multiplan
(spreadsheet).
Some programs deemed in
the public domain (that
means, not copyrighted — for
example Bach's music is publ ic
domain) are available free to
CP/M users.
One of the beauties of CP/M
is that the user interface looks
the same on all computers
running CP/M, no matter what
hardware difference there may
be. For example , CP/M 2 . 2 on a
TandyTRS-80 wi 1 1 appear to be
identical to CP/M 2.2 on the
Spectravideo X'Press, even
though the computers have
totally different hardware.
This 'hardware indepen-
dence’ is also seen in MSX-
DOS. Tim Patterson designed
PC-DOS (itself derived from
MS-DOS) the operating system
for the IBM PC, so was the
natural choice to provide the
operating system for the new
MSX computers.
When the first 16-bit micro-
processor became available,
instead of waiting for the
arrival of CP/M-86, he wrote his
ownversion of CP/M, which was
later to evolve into PC-DOS.
MSX-DOS acknowledges the
importance of both CP/M and
MS-DOS, and has fused them
together.
What has resulted seems to
be basically CP/M with a user
interface that looks like MS-
DOS. One of the criticisms of
CP/M was that it wasn't particu-
larly user-friendly, offering an
array of mind-boggling error
messages.
MSX-DOS is a fair bit more
pleasantto use in this respect,
presenting a more informative
and helpful face when things
go wrong. The basic CP/M and
MSX-DOScommandsare given
in the table below to give you
some idea of the differences.
MSX-DOS provides a high
degree of compatibility with
CP/M 2.2, so programs de-
signed for CP/M 2.2 should run
on MSX-DOS systems. We have
not yet tested this compatibi I-
ity, so if you want to buy CP/M
programs for MSX-DOS, re-
member: always try before you
buy!
The way that MSX-DOS orga-
nises its data on disks (the disk
format) is supposed to be
identical to that of MS-DOS,
which in theory should allow
data (not program) exchange
between your humble 8-bit
MSX system and the more
powerful 16-bit MS-DOS com-
puters I ike the Apricot.
Bridge
This would allow you to set
up a 'bridge' between office
and home. Imagine slaving
away with Wordstar on an
Apricotall dayattheoffice, and
you're still not finished by
5.30. So you save your docu-
mentondisk, take it home with
you . Retrieving your MSX com-
puter from the hands of a
crazed alien zapper, you start
up your MSX-version of Word-
star, retrieve your document
from disk, and carry on working
from where you left off. We've
yet to test this feature, but if it
works it's a lovely idea.
The version of MSX-DOS we
saw was a little disappointing,
being verymucha poor relation
to MS-DOS. Many of the utili-
ties expected are absent, such
as the M-80 assembler, the
very useful CHKDSK (which
checks your disk), DISKCOPY
(copies an entire disk), and
EDUN (an editor).
The TIME function which is
used to set the system’s clock
did not work on either the
Spectravideo orToshiba HX-22
systems we tried. This is be-
cause the internal MSX timer
may be temporarily stopped
when some input and output
operations are carried out.
‘If you want to buy
CP/M programs for
MSX- DOS, always try
b efore you buy’
Hopefully, later versions of
MSX will correct this feature.
Another missing feature is the
promised 'tree' directories,
which turn your disk into a kind
of multi-level filing cabinet.
It is possible that the Spec-
travideo MSX-DOS is prelimin-
ary, but the documentation
looks fairly complete. Most of
the 'missing' features may
probably be added in later
versions of the operating sys-
tem. The current version is,
after all, version 1.00!
When both MSX-DOS and
CP/M become widely available
for MSX computers, we should
see a range of proven and well
supported business software
being made available. A num-
ber of MSX computers seem to
have been designed with some
business use in mind; the Sony
and Pioneer models are excel-
lent examples due to their
keyboards which are particu-
larly good for word-crunching.
Those who are more orient-
ated towards programming will
be offered the chance to ex-
plore new languages when
compilers become available.
BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, and
Pascal compi lers are promised
from Microsoft themselves,
with the possibility of LOGO,
LISP, and C from other sup-
pliers.
Life with an operating sys-
tem is as simple or compli-
cated as you wish to make it.
You don’t need to delve deep
into using them, but if you do,
you may find itvery interesting.
Without them though, life
could be very difficult. Just
think about all those _
punched cards! H
needed — a monitor.
A bewildering task awaits
you. Monitors come in all
shapes and sizes and can be
divided into five main groups;
monochrome, TV/monitors,
standard, medium and high
resolution monitors. Despite
these fairly clear cut categor-
ies, there are many variables
involved in buying a monitor.
Manufacturers tend to inter-
pret standards differently and
although some things, such as
the screen display quality,
rarely vary, some models will
include extras such as SCART
sockets, anti glare screens
nd remote control units for
he same price as a similar
onitor which lacks these
eatures.
There are hundreds of moni-
ors lurking about in shops and
somehow you've got to negoti-
ate the obstacle course of
buying one; inflated prices,
poor shop selection, and
assistants who know even less
than you do.
Home computersare usually
used for the following; playing
games, word processing, as a
business tool and for program-
ming. Consider which of these
applications you intend to use
your MSX for and you’ll be half
way to choosing a model .
This is because some moni-
tors are more suitable for
certain applications than
others, for instance whereas a
lower quality monitor might be
T here comes a time In any
self respecting MSX com-
puter owner’s career when
the purchase of a monitor will
be considered. It’s nota matter
to be taken lightly — the path
to buying a suitable monitor Is
a hazardous one and the first
thing to establish is whether
you really do need one.
Isn't the family TV set
enough? The chances are that
it won't be. Family TVs are
always the scene of fights as
Grannie and kid sisters battle it
out in the living room just to
decide whether its going to be
Bugs Bunny or Coronation
Street tonight.
You and your computer won't
stand a chance of even playing
a quick game of Konami’s
Tennis never mind program-
ming your latest epic game.
Even if you do getto the set, the
TV picture isfuzzy, flickers and
will drive your eyes bananas
after a while. If this situation
sounds familiar, then an
alternative VDU source is
Composite video
The encoding process In a computer
Aerial
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Aerial lead
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Composite video
RGB signals
Composite
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Signal conversion process In a TV/monltor
Pin configurations for Loewe’s SCART socket
1 — Audio right out 8
2 — Audio right In 9
3 — Audio left out 10
4 — Audio ground 11
5 — Blue ground 12
6 — Audio left In 13
7 — Blue signal 14
Switching voltage 15
Green ground 16
Not connected 17
Green signal 18
Not connected 19
Red ground 20
Not connected 21
Red signal
Blanking
Video ground
Blanking ground
CVBS out
CVBS In
Shielding pin
Loewe’s portable MCP110 TV/
monitor can even be used off a
car battery. At £375, It features a
‘flat* display which doesn’t suffer
the distortion normally associ-
ated with TVs and monitors.
fine for games, it will have little
use for word processing.
Monochrome monitors can
be picked up for under £100
and are usually available with
either amber or green screens.
Thedisplay is particularly good
for word processing, program-
ming and business use
although virtually useless for
games.
These monitors offer incred-
ibly good value for money and
our advice is that if you intend
to use it for the more serious
side of micro life — buy one.
We've tried the £89 Philips
7522, a 12 inch model avail-
able in both amber and green
screens and found that it gives
excellent results.
Monitor resolution governs
the quality of a monitor’s
display. Itreferstotheabilityof
a monitor to clearly display a
number of pixels or computer
defined dots. Pixels are the
units which make up the
graphics or text images on
screen and the higher their
density, the better the quality
of visual display.
Resolution is related to the
pitch size. This is the distance
between adjacent groups of
phosphor dots on the tube, and
is affected by the tube size. For
example, a 14 inch monitor
with a 0.6mm pitch will resolve
450 pixels per horizontal line
whereas a 20 inch tube with a
0.8mm pitch resolves 500
pixels — the increased screen
size allows more phosphor
dots to be laid down.
Whatever the screen size, a
standard monitor will only pro-
duce a d isplay good enough for
a 40 column screen. That’s
great for games, but not terr-
ibly good value as for a few
pounds more it is possible to
get a TV/monitor, combining
the standard monitor facility
with a TV.
Even so, the brand new
Philips CM8524 at £265 is a
good example of a standard
monitor, but has enough addi-
tional features to push it above
the average standard monitor
and even above a TV/Monitor.
These include a stylish swivel
stand, anti-glare screen, built-
in quartz clock, display center-
ing control and, perhaps most
importantly, it has a green
screen option.
Flicking the green screen
switch changes it to a
monochrome screen, auto-
matically turning the monitor
into a viable contender for the
business and programming
market.
Sanyo'sCD3195B isanother
tried and well liked standard
monitor with a green screen
option, but retai ling at£360, it
is £100 more expensive — it
pays to shop around!
Next up is the medium re-
solution monitor. A 14 inch
tube with a 0.4mm pitch re-
solves about 580 pixels a line
which means that 80 charac-
ters a line can be resolved —
just.
Microvitec's Cub 1451 AP/
MS is an example of this type
and is in constant use, here in
the What MSX? office. We use
it to review games and for large
amounts of word processing,
and it has always produced
excellent results. There’s very
little eye strain, often a prob-
lem with lower resolution
monitors.
‘Hl-res monitors are
the best but the price
puts them beyond the
reach of most home
computer users’
High resolution monitors are
the best, but their price, often
£450 or more, puts them
beyond the reach of most home
computer owners — unless
they’ve justwonthepoolsor it's
intended for business.
A 14 inch unit has a pitch of
0.31mm and resolves around
800 pixels, perfect for 80
character use.
We've already touched on
TV/monitors. Buying one of
these should be considered
carefully because there are
some excellent bargains on
the market at the moment.
Up until this year, most of the
TV/monitors combined a TV
facility with a standard monitor
display. But Loewe Opta, a
German company which has
recently started to sell its
products in the UK has
changed that with the intro-
duction of the medium/high
resolution 10 inch MCP 110
M • ABYSS • ADVENTURE QUEST • AGENT USA • AIR TRAFFIC CONTRO L • AMERICAN FOOTBALL • ANT ATTACK AUTOMANIA • AVALON • AVIATOR • BATTLECARS
) • BLAGGER • BLOCKBUSTERS • BLUE MAX BOILER HOUSE • BOULDER DASH BRAINSTORM ■ BRAXX BLUFF ■ BRUCE LEE • BYTE • CAMELOT • CASTLE OF
ENAME MAT DALEY THOMPSON’S DECATHLON ■ DETECTIVE DIGGER DAN • DOOMDARK’S REVENGE • DRAGON FIRE • DRELBS DUNGEON ADVENTURE • ED)
’ CHALLENGE • ELITE • EUREKA • FIGHTER PILOT - FIREQUEST • FLAK FOOTBALL MANAGER GHOSTBUSTERS • GIFT FROM THE GODS GOLD RUSH • GRAND PR1X
'ZLER HIGH NOON • HOT DOT SPOTTER • HULK • IMPOSSIBLE MISSION INTERDICTOR PILOT ■ JACK & THE BEANSTALK • JASPER • JET SET WILLY JETPAC JINN
.HTLORE • KOKOTONI WILF ■ LEGIONNAIRE • LEMMING SYNDROME LORDS OF MIDNIGHT • MANIC MINER • MASTERMIND MATCH DAY • MATCH POINT • MO
>N PATROL • MR ROBOT • MS PAC MAN • MUGSY - MUSIC MACHINE • MUTANT MONTY MYCHESS II NATO COMMANDER • NOMAD OF TIME • OLYMPICS X4
R PAN • PIPE LINE PLOP POGO POLE POSITION ■ POSITRON PYJAMARAMA QUANGO QUIZMASTER • RAID OVER MOSCOW RATTLER REDCOATS
4 • RIVER RAID ■ ROBBE R • ROBOTRON 20H4 • ROLAND GOES DIGGING ■ SABRE WULF • SAGA OF ERIC THE VIKING SCRABBLE ■ SCUBBER DIVE SHEER PANIC • S
OF THE LINE • SHOOT THE RAPIDS SKOOL DAZE • SKULL • SMUGGLER ■ SNOOKER SNOWBALL • SOFTWARE STAR ■ SON OF BLAGGER • SPACE SHUTTLE ■ SPE
•GED • SPIDER-MAN • SPIRIT OF THE STONES ■ SPITFIRE ACE • SPY HUNTER • STAFF OF KARNATH ■ STAR TRADER • STAR TREK ADVENTURE • STAR WARRIOR
E DAVIS SNOOKER • STOP THE EXPRESS - STRIP POKER • SUICIDE EXPRESS • SULTAN’S MAZE SWAG TALES OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ■ TECHNICIAN TED TEST
JALACTIC PLAGUE • THE GREAT SPACE RACE • THE THINKER TIR NA NOG TRANSYLVANIAN TOWER • UGH! • VIZAWRITE 64 • WANTED MONTY MOLE W
TER • WHITE LIGHTNING WILD WORDS WIZARD OF WOR XAVIOR • ZAGA MISSION • ZARM • ZAXXON • ZENJI ZODIAC MASTER • ZOOM PASCAL • ZORK II
When you are looking for the best games in town look no
further than Software City.
Even if you are just browsing we’ll be happy to show you
the selection of great games we have to offer.
We stock software for Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari,
BBC Electron, Amstrad, MSX, Apple and IBM machines,
or we will order if you cannot find the program on the
shelf.
THE UK’S NO.l SOFTWARE DEALER LIMITED
382 Kings Road Chelsea SW3 01 352 9220
14 Thames Street Kingston-on-Thames Surrey 01 541 4911
MONITOR APPLICATIONS
MONITOR
TYPE
GAMES/
GENERAL
USE
TEXT/
BUSINESS
PROGRAM-
MING
MONOCHROME
0
2
2
STANDARD RES
0
0
0
MEDIUM RES
2
1
2
HIGH RES
0
2
1
STANDARD
TV/MONITOR
1
0
0
HIGH/MED
TV/MONITOR
2
2
2
KEY: 0 — Not recommended
1 — Good
2 — Excellent
NOTE: These ratings are subjective as they take a number of
aspects into account, including price.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Here are ten basic points to the correct leads are
consider when buying a attached.
monitor:
6. FSTs are good value as
1. Consider what applies- they produce a distortlon-
tlons you will use your free, larger and brighter
computer for and choose picture.
the type of monitor display
carefully. In most cases, 7. Consider the size of
you get what you pay for. screen. 14 inches Is the
optimum size for home
2. Make sure It is compati- computer applications,
ble with your MSX.
8. Portability may be an
3. If the computer Is con* asset. Some monitors are
nected to a TV/monitor via more portable than others,
the RF socket, you will only
get a TV quality display. 9. Make sure you like the
style and colour — you’re
4. If your MSX has an RGB the one who will be staring
facility check that the moni- at It.
tor has both CVBS and RGB
sockets. 10. If you want features
such as green screen op-
5. Monitor sound outputs tions, remote control or
can often only be heard if swivel stands, ask forthem.
The Mlcrovltec Club
KT, a portable TV/monitor.
In addition to the clear,
flicker free, well saturated
colour display, the picture is
completelyTlat due to the Flat
Square Tube (FST). Most moni-
tors uti lise a curved tube which
distorts the pictures, especial-
ly at the sides.
Advantages of the FST, be-
sides the warp-free picture,
include a brighter and bigger
(more of the display fits into
the screen) picture. Some of
the latest Grundig models in-
corporate FST s.
All other TV/monitors that
have passed through our
offices — Philips CT2007 at
£230, Fidelity's CTM 1400 at
£220 and Ferguson’s MC01 at
£230 — have had a standard
display.
Resolution is one type of
variable. The type of signals a
monitor receives is equally
important. There are three
main signal types: Red, Green
and Blue (RGB) ; PAL composite
video (CVBS) and radio fre-
quency (RF) .
Understanding the different
processes these signals go
through before ending up on
the screen helps to explain why
images generated on a TV
screen shimmer and go fuzzy at
the edges whereas monitor
displays are much clearer and
steadier.
MSX computers generate
two types of video signal; RGB
signals where three compo-
nent colours — red, green and
blue are generated separately
and the CVBS signals in which
the three RGB signals are
combined with a synchronising
signal — the Sync. The latter is
most common. Only the JVC,
Toshiba HX22 and Sony Hit Bit
generate RGB signals.
A TV, though, can’t receive
the MSX generated CVBS sig-
nal via the RF socket unti I it has
been converted into an RF
signal . Once i nside the set, the
RF signal is changed back to
the CVBS signal via an In-
termediate Frequency (IF) sig-
nal and then again back to
separate RGB signals. These
are then used to drive the video
amplifiers and finally, the
tube.
With all the encoding and
decoding it’s hardly surprising
that the resultant TV display is
so awful. A monitor bypasses
this tedious and inefficient
process.
A mon itor’s CVBS socket wi 1 1
take the composite video sig-
nal as it is, separating it into
component colours once in-
side. Most efficient of all
three, however, is the RGB
signal which remains pure and
unadulterated from computer
to monitor screen.
If you intend to utilise both
the RGB and composite video
signals, make sure the monitor
has both these ports — not all
of them have.
Euroconnectors (or SCART
sockets) are a type of socket
combining the RGB and CVBS
signals into one port. They are
becoming an increasingly
common feature on monitors
— Loewe MCP110, Fidelity
CTM1400, Philips CM8524all
incorporate the SCART socket.
The idea of the SCART socket
is, according to Tim Thomas,
Philip’s Technical Product
Manager for computer moni-
tors, ‘to have one socket on the
back covering all options.'
Apartfrom coveringthe com-
puter’saudio input/output, and
CVBS input/output, the SCART
Fidelity's colour TV/monltor
socket enables video and au-
dio cassette recorders and
video cameras to attach to the
one socket using different pin
configurations.
‘One of the advantages of a
single socket,’ Thomas told us
‘is that it cuts out the spaghetti
syndrome familiar to hi-fi and
computer users — lots of wires
all doing different things.’
Euroconnector plugs can be
purchased from most special-
ist shops for about £20,
although our local specialist
shop refused to make a SCART
lead for us claiming that all
SCART connections were dif-
ferent from each other. Even if
true, this shouldn't cause any
problems as detailed dia-
grams of the sockets are
included in monitor manuals.
Philips doesn’t take any
chances with its new CM8524.
It includes a SCART as well as
individual RGB and CVBS
sockets.
Picture controls vary from
monitorto monitor. All of them,
including monochrome moni-
tors, have volume, contrast
and brightness controls.
An interesting control on the
two Philips monitors — the
monochrome 7522 and the
colour CM8524 — is an image
centering function. A few TV/
monitors such as Loewe’s MCP
110 are accompanied by a
remote control unit.
Anti-glare screens are in-
cluded on many of the up-
marketmodels — these helpto
reduce eye strain caused by
the picture brightness.
By now, you will have a
clearer picture of what sort of
mon itor you want as wel I as the
sort of features you’d like it to
have. You won’t bat an eyelid
when shop assistants try to
blind you with talk of green
screen options, SCART sockets
and CVBS signals.
Our Buyer's Guide at the
back of this issue will give you
some idea of availability and
prices, but the golden rule is of
course to go and b
see for yourself. H
Turning yourbitsinto
printed words Is easy.
Butchooslngthe right
printertodoltneeds
some thought and
considerable care
W hatever the reason you
buy your computer for
In the first place,
chances are you will at some
point want to produce a hard
copy — or printout — of your
precious work.
If you’re a crack programmer
you will want a fairly cheap
printer to print out your list-
ings, to help with debugging
and for graphics — maybe,
even, in colour.
If you wantto word process
you wi 1 1 want a better q u a I ity of
print for letters, address labels
and suchlike — speed is not as
important here as quality.
If you're using your MSX
computer in the office you'll
want a fast, efficient, high
quality printer to produce re-
ports, data sheets, form letters
and so on.
The price of printers may
come as a bit of a shock to
many users — they can easily
cost as much as the rest of a
system put together.
The message, then, is clear;
decide exactly what you intend
to use a printer for before you
start looking around. Other-
wise you could either end up
paying more than necessary
for quality you don't really
need, or buying too cheap a
printer which just can't cope
with your workload.
The CPP-40 Is a tiny but Impressive four colour printer plotter- and cheap
A typical dot matrix, Smith Corona’s D200 gives a variety of typefaces
To help you with the deci-
sion, we'll run through the
various types of printers avail-
able, starting at the low-cost
end and working up.
Once you get an idea of the
kind of printer you need — and
how much you're prepared to
pay — turn to our buyer's guide
to printers on page 100 for
more specific details.
Dot matrix
The cheapest printer you'll
find — at around the £100
mark upwards — will probably
have a dot matrix print head,
which forms characters by im-
pact against an inked ribbon,
or by thermal means on spe-
cially coated paper.
The printhead contains a
column of several tiny pins —
usually 7 or 9 — which are
thrown against a ribbon as the
printhead moves across the
carriage. The dots thus formed
build up into characters as the
printhead moves from left to
right (and right to left on more
sophisticated models) across
the page.
Impact dot matrix printers
can be pretty noisy, but ther-
mal models are practically
silent since characters are
formed chemically rather than
by force.
The more pins you have in
the printhead, the more dots
that make up each character.
This means that there's less
space between the dots and
the character is much clearer
to read.
The less you pay, the poorer
the quality of print you can
expect and the slower the
speed — as low as 30 to 40
characters per second around
the £100 to £150 price mark.
If you pay more you can
expect a faster, more versatile
machine for your money. For
instance, bi-directional print-
ing, which considerably
speeds up the whole process,
is a useful feature.
Dual mode printing is also
very useful, especially if you
sometimes want high speed
printing and at others high
quality print. With a dual mode
printer you can select between
low speed, 'near letter quality’
or ‘correspondence’ quality
print for letters and reports,
and high speed, lower quality
print for printouts and high
speed dumps.
PRINTER CABLES
To connect an MSX computer to a printer with a Centronics
parallel interface you need a printer cable with a 15-pin
amphenol (MSX printer socket) to 36-pin amphenol (standard
Centronics printer connection). These can be obtained as
follows:
MicroPeripherals £12.80
(0256) 473232
Aztec Software £14.30
(0924) 497319
DougPacker £15
01-941 2560
Spectravideo £15.95
01-330 1010
BootstheChemist £9.95
Canon's F-60 dot matrix printer has a very handy near letter quality mode
A daisywheel like this Silver Reed EXP 400, Is Ideal for quality print
A daisywheel close-up. You can change the wheel for different typefaces
Near letter quality print isn’t
as good as daisywheel print,
but even the lower speed is
much faster than you could
expect from a daisywheel.
Apart from text, dot matrix
printers can reproduce
graphics from your computer.
Some do this by means of
‘block’ graphics, producingthe
required pattern using set
characters from the printer as
‘building blocks'. Others can
reproduce an exact replica of
whatever graphics you have
created on screen — these are
said to have high resolution
graphics capability.
Ink Jet printers
Moving slightly up-market,
wecometo the ink-jet printers,
a comparatively new technolo-
gical development. These prin-
ters produce characters by
means of squirting ink at the
paper — again in a matrix of
dots.
‘The price of printers may
comeasa shockto many
users-asmuchasthe
rest of a system’
Multi colour printing is often
possible, with speeds in the
region of 40 characters per
second. Again, graphics are
possible. A positive advantage
of this kind of printer is that
they are virtually silent, and
produce a high standard of text
and graphics. Expect to pay in
the region of £500.
Daisywheel printers
If you are after electronic
typewriter qual ity print for your
computer-generated copy, you
need a daisywheel printer.
Theyworka little like golfball
typewriters, with all the char-
acters on a print element that
whizzes from side to side along
the carriage.
The characters are held on
the ends of 'stalks' emanating
from a hub, giving the appear-
ance of a flattened daisy.
As this element moves from
side to side, the daisywheel
spins, a hammer hitting each
required character against the
ribbon as it passes. More
sophisticated models print bi-
directionally.
Print quality is high, but you
pay the price in speed and
versatility. Speeds tend to be
under 20 cps, and you are
limited to the actual charac-
ters on the daisywheel —
graphics are out. You can
interchange the daisywheels,
though, giving you a choice of
several typefaces.
That's a summary of the
different kinds of printers with-
in reach of most people's
budgets. But what else should
you look out for in terms of
useful features and add-ons?
First, consider what kind of
paper you’ll be using. If you’re
usingsinglesheetsorplainroll
paper, you'll need a friction
feeder, which works like the
paper feed on a typewriter.
Most daisywheel printers offer
this type, although some can
be fitted with a tractor feed,
useful for continuous station-
ery. Also useful — but expen-
sive — is a cut sheet feeder,
which sits on top of the printer
and feeds single sheets
through one by one — saving a
lot of fiddly messing about.
Tractor feeds come as stan-
dard on most dot matrix prin-
ters, and are designed for use
with that familiar 'print out’
paper with holes down each
side. Tiny sprockets on each
side of a roller catch these
holes and pull the paper
through the printer.
On most printers with this
mechanism, the distance be-
tween the sprockets can be
adjusted for d iff erent widths of
paper, but where this distance
is fixed the mechanism is
called ‘pinfeed’.
If you're worried about which
printerwill ‘work’ with your MSX
computer, the rule is quite
simple. Make sure the printer
of your choice is fitted with a
Centronics parallel interface.
Thisshouldn'tbedifficultsince
it’s the most widely used prin-
ter interface around.
You may find that a few
graphics characters, specific
to MSX machines, can't be
produced by the printer of your
choice, unless it is designated
an 'MSX printer’.
But don’t worry, you’re very
unlikely to miss these charac-
ters since they're only the odd
graphics symbol not included
in the ASCII character set —
which most printers can easily
reproduce.
You may also find that the
cable supplied with the printer
will not fit i nto the back of your
computer. That is because the
'pins’ in the interface are
arranged in a non-standard
format on MSX machines.
Either get your dealer to
make up a cable for you or
contact one of the dealers in
our box above.
It is worth investing a few
extra pounds in a printer which
will print true descenders. This
means that the printer will
produce the lower portions of
characters like 'g', ‘p’ etc,
belowthe I i ne I ike a typewriter.
The cheapest dot matrix mod-
els won't always do this, print-
ing the entire character above
the line, which makes for pretty
difficult to read output
and quite generally
headaches all round.
UnitSoft (MSX)
AFFORDABLE PRODUCTS
UNIT 6, 136 INGRAM STREET
GLASGOW G1
MSX
Disc Warrior
... £6.25
Boulderdash (new)
£5.25
Le Mans
... £7.75
A View to a Kill (new)
£8.00
Crazy Golf
... £6.25
Ghostbusters
£8.75
Cubit
...£6.25
Decathlon
£7.75
Humphrey
...£6.25
Beamrider
£7.75
Punchy
...£6.25
Zenji
£7.75
Hunchback
...£6.25
Pitfall II
£7.75
Manic Miner
... £6.25
River Raid
£7.75
Cannon Fighter
... £5.25
Mr Wong's Laundry
£6.25
Eric And The Floaters
... £4.95
Blagger
£6.25
Fire Rescue
... £6.25
Flight 737
£7.75
Hot Shoe
... £4.95
Chuckie Egg
£5.25
Hustler
...£5.25
3D Ant Attack
£6.25
Oh Mummy
... £4.95
Champ
£7.00
Panic Junction
... £5.25
Contract Bridge
£7.75
The Wreck
. £11.50
Les Flics
£4.25
Hole in One
. £12.00
Time Bandits
£6.25
KONAMI ROM CARTRIDGES
Colossal Adventure
£7.75
£14.75 each. Buy any 2 for £28
Adventure Quest
£7.75
Tennis
Dungeon & Adventure ...
£7.75
Golf
Lords of Time
£7.75
(New) Ping Pong
Snowball
£7.75
Antarctic Adventure
Return to Eden
£7.75
Monkey Academy
The Hobbit
...£11.25
Track and Field 1
DrillerTanks
£5.25
Track and Field II
Ninga
£4.95
Hyper Sports 1
Nuts & Milk
£4.95
Hyper Sports II
Cannon Ball
£5.25
MOPI Ranger
Pretty Sheep
£5.25
Yiear Kung-Fu
Submarine Shooter
£5.25
Kings Valley
Binary Land
£5.25
Sky Jaguar
Jet Set Willy
£6.25
Circus Charlie
Hero
£8.25
Athletic Land
Zaxxon
£9.25
(New) Time Pilot
Buck Rogers
£9.25
(New) Comic Bakery
Sorcery
£7.50
(New) Super Cobra
Emerald Isle
£5.25
PERIPHERALS
Pshydelia
£5.25
Konami's Hypershot
.£14.25
Special Operations
£5.25
Joy Card
... £5.95
Maxima
£4.25
MSX Quickshot II
... £7.50
Space Shuttle
£9.25
Delta 3SM-MSX Joystick
£10.50
Wonder Bolt
£9.25
DFM Data Base and Labels£19.95
Postage included UK. Overseas orders add £1 .00 per item.
All cheques payable to: Affordable Products.
MITSUBISHI MSX
at
AUDIO TECHNIQUES
SPECIAL OFFER ON MITSUBISHI
,*-u
mp mm nn
MITSUBISHI MLF80 — 64K
64K
48K
£265
£225
plus free six-peck software
Prices inc. VAT.
Carriage anywhere
in UK — £5 extra
We also stock:
Computer peripherals • Software • Professional
audio equipment • Disco • Top end Hi Fi • Budget Hi
Fi • Secondhand Hi Fi • Discounted rack systems •
Televisions and monitors • Secondhand colour TVs
from £50 • Reconditioned, guaranteed videos (VHS)
from £195 • Questar active speaker systems • Prisma
professional power amplifiers (200-2,000 watts) •
Mosfet amplifier modules for home construction
Fast repair of all electronic goods at our Fulham
premises.
Contact us now for full details of our goods and
services and mail order prices .
129 Walham Green Court,
C /T /# C 1 1 * Moore Park Road, London
-Audio >. techniques om
Choose free software to the value
of £100 from nearly 200 titles.
Make Music on your MSX Computer
for beginners to accomplished musicians
FM Musiwriter Cartridge for Yamaha
CX5M
★ Easily compose music
★ 46 Voices available
★ Control MIDI Synthesizers
Odyssey-K MSX Music Recording Studio
MSX Keyboard synchronise
with screen display
Record and Playback on
three Channels
Many good facilities
PSG Musiwriter Cartridge Software
★ Write or Playback your
compositions
★ Save to cassette or Print
Out
★ For all MSX Computers
Please supply the following: —
FM MUSIWRITER (CX5M) £29.95 per piece
ODYSSEY-K £1 1 .95 per piece
PSG MUSIWRITER £24.95 per piece
Name
H. HOCKEN LTD
33 STATION ROAD, REDHILL, SURREY
TELEPHONE: 0737 69222
Address
Tel:
Amount enclosed £
To: Rittor Music Europe Limited — 24, Broomgrove Gardens, Edgware, Middx.
Tel: 01-952 5302
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JOJND & VISION
In association with ‘What Hi-Fi?’, 'New Hi-Fi Sound’ and 'Hi-Fi Answers’
If you want to use
commercial software
or save listings, you’ll
need a cassette/data
recorder. But which
should you choose?
A computer doesn’t do
much without software.
But you need a medium to
store the software on. And by
far the most popular way of
doing this Is to use the humble
cassette.
Cartridges are more conve-
nient, but are comparatively
expensive, and you can't use
them to store your own prog-
rams or data.
Disks are better sti 1 1 i n terms
of convenience. But again the
cost is high — especial ly when
it comes to buying the drives
themselves.
Cassettes are cheap and
reliable, ifa littleslowattimes.
But it isn't just a case of wiring
your computer up to your hi-fi
cassette deck. You really need
to have a tape machine per-
manently plugged-in to your
micro.
This is when it becomes
worthwhile considering a prop-
er data recorder. These are
intended specifically for com-
puter use, and give a square
wave (digital) output, for grea-
ter reliability.
Although normal cassette
recorders can save you money
they may not serve you right.
You may have to waste valu-
able computing time twiddling
with various knobs and switch-
es and altering the volume
control.
Computers can be very tem-
peramental, to say the least,
aboutthe quality of sound, and
won’t accept a program unless
the pitch and tone are spot on!
So, if you are intent on
becoming a serious computer
user and, instead of playing
games want to write your own
software, buying a data recor-
der is a sound idea.
So how do you go about
making the right choice and
just what features should you
look out for?
Well, for a start tape coun-
ters, although not essential,
are a useful feature to have
because they enable you to
make notes about where on a
tape a particular program is
stored (should you have more
than one per tape) . It certainly
beats guessing the position,
whichfrequentlyturnsouttobe
a hit and miss affair!
If the data recorder you've
setyourheartondoesn'thavea
tape counter, don't despair —
look for a monitor function
instead. This handyfacility lets
you listen to the tape as it's
playing, fast forwarding or
rewinding.
A monitor not only gives you
a feeling of confidence, be-
cause you know the program is
actually there, but it also
allows you to hear the silences
between programs — if you
know what we mean?
It is also well worth looking
out for a model that has both
tone and volume control. The
ability of any data recorder (or
cassette recorder) to work
properly with your computer
depends on the quality of the
signal that it's sending out.
You need to be able to adjust
that signal as finely as possi-
ble in order to achieve a good
load, volume adjustment
alone isn't always sufficient,
as we have discovered to our
cost.
After that, providing you
have got the usual fast for-
ward, stop, eject and play
buttons, there's not much else
you need to be on the look out
for in terms of features,
although quality is also an
important consideration.
To give you an idea of what's
available and the sort of price
you can expect to pay, we have
pestered several manufactur-
ers and managed to lay our
hands on three data recorders
and three ‘ordinary’ cassette
recorders — although we’ll
concentrate on the data recor-
ders here. They are listed in the
table on page 81.
At the top end of the range is
JVC's data recorder costing a
mere £89! It's expensive but
looks very sophisticated and is
an excellent performer.
It is electronically controlled
by touch-sensitive switches,
and can be remotely activated
by your MSX computer as wel I .
Features include a phase
changeover switch, edit/talk
and a talk microphone. The
second item permits you to
create no-signal blanks be-
tween programs you're going
to save to facilitate program
searches. And when it’s used in
conjunction with the mic-
rophone switch you can add
comments (also known as
voice-filing) just before each
program.
Compared to the JVC, which
can be described as the ‘ulti-
mate’ in style, the Sanyo
DR101 appears quite mun-
dane and looks just like an
ordinary cassette recorder.
It has a phase button on the
right hand side which is useful
when loading a cassette that
has been saved on another
machine. If any errors occur, or
you can't find the program,
flicking the switch will often
solve the problem.
At £29.99 it's a lot cheaper
than the JVC but loads prog-
rams and gamesjustasquickly
without any problems. Indeed,
it loads tapes other recorders
seem to have trouble with.
And what's more it can be
mains or battery operated and
comes with a carrying handle.
But the style and colour
scheme might be a little unim-
aginative — it depends
whether you want good looks.
If you like the boxy, upright
style of the JVC but don't fancy
the price you could be
pleasantly surprised with the
Binatone.
At the same price as the
Sanyo, it owes its styling to the
JVC, although it can't match
that model when it comes to
quality and finish.
We put it through the same
loading and saving tests as the
other two models and it per-
formed adequately, in spite of
its less than sophisticated
construction. But we noticed
two distinct disadvantages
which, although not serious,
are worth noting.
Dirt&dust
If you've got chubby fingers,
removing a cassette could
prove difficult — the cassette
flap is very narrow and was
definitely designed with sylph-
like digits in mind!
The other fault is again with
the cassette flap. When you
open it to insert a cassette all
the internal components are
exposed. This means that ev-
ery time you take a ca ssette out
or put one in dirt and dust can
get into the mechanism.
Eventually grime could build
up to such an extent that it
could lift the tape away from
the magnetic heads so that the
signals will be degraded and
the tape itself may suffer some
damage .
Apart from that it's reliable,
sturdily built, performs more
thanadequatelyand at£29.95
it’s a reasonable price too.
So, three very different
items. If cost isn't a considera-
tion then you’d be well advised
to go fa somethi ng I ike the JVC
model. But if you're a little
more concerned about budget,
the Sanyo recorder is one of the
most reliable and efficient
machines we've come across.
The Binatone gives you fancy
styling. But once that attrac-
tion has worn off you mightfind
you’d have done better going
for a more robust recorder. So
themoralis — don'tget mm
lakeninbylooks. Hi
FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS
Model
Tape
Counter
Automatic
Level
Control
Phase
Switch
Monitor
Price
Supplier
Binatone
01/6565
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
£29.95
Binatone
01-903 5211
Omega
Compucorder
Yes
Yes
No
No
£24.95
Microdealer
(07073) 28181
JVC
HC-R105
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
£89
JVC
01-450 3282
Network
NW900
Yes
Yes
No
No
£29.95
Network Marketing
01-202 0911
Sanyo
DR101
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
£29.95
Sanyo
(0923) 46363
Toshiba
HX-C810
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
£34.95
Toshiba
(0276) 62222
Toshiba HX-C810
Omega Compucorder
Network NW900
SanyoDRIOl
Binatone 01/6565
JVC HC-R105
It’s Just possible that you
don’t need the extra features
of a data recorder, and that
an ordinary cassette recorder
will fill your needs. To give
you an idea we looked at
three models from Omega,
Network and Toshiba.
The recorders we looked at
range in price from £24.95
for the Omega Compucorder
to £34.95 for the Toshiba
HX-C810. The Network costs
the same as the Binatone but
looks nowhere near as
attractive.
All three were tested by
saving and loading various
programs and a selection of
games and to be honest they
worked Just as well as the
data recorders.
The Toshiba HX-C810,
although called a cassette
recorder, has (unlike the
Omega and Network) a handy
monitor switch — usually
found on dedicated data re-
corders.
Toshiba has also spent a
lot of time on the rather
elegant design so that It
matches up with the com-
pany’s new HX-22 micro.
At £34.95 you might think
that It’s a little pricey. On the
other hand the Omega Com-
pucorder and the Network
model don’t have monitor
switches.
The Omega, which is the
cheapest model (ane looks
It) saves and loads programs
Just as well as the others as
far as we could see. It’s Just a
pity the company didn’t pay a
little more attention to style
and finish. A particularly
painful example is the cas-
sette flap which only closes
when It’s slammed down very
hard. After doing that for a
few times It’s sure to get on
your nerves ... It did ours!
The overall finish of the
machine isn’t up to that of the
other two models.
As for the Network we did
experience a few loading
problems, but we discovered
that It’s necessary to set the
volume and tone controls to
maximum.
Overall we were impressed
with all three models as each
lived up to the manufacturers
claims. Ultimately the deci-
sion to buy a data or cassette
recorder is yours.
But before you do, take a
tip from us. Don’t be tempted
into forking out for a model
Just because It looks good
when an ordinaiy, no-friiis
one will work Just as well.
Get the most from your games with a
joystick or two. Mike Gerrard tries out a
few of his favourites and gives his verdict
I f you thought it was hard
enough choosing an MSX
machine from the wide
range available, Just wait till
you come to choosing a Joys-
tick. To say there are millions
available is perhaps a slight
exaggeration, but there are
certainly several dozen
around. Even if there were only
two types you could still end up
buying the wrong one and not
being able to get the most out
of those games.
The reason for the wide
choice open to the MSX user is
that not only are manufactur-
ers such as Sony and Canon
busy producing their own joy-
sticks, but the type of joystick
port chosen as standard under
MSX is, wisely enough, the
most popular. This is generally
known as the Atari type, which
is also compatible with the
Commodore 64, so you can
choose from any joysticks said
to be suitable for those
machines.
If you're not sure, just look at
the connector on the end of the
joystick's lead. The Atari/MSX
type has nine holes, to connect
with the nine pins in the
joystick port, a row of five and a
rowoffour.Theothermaintype
of joystick you're likelytosee is
the straightforward round five-
pin DIN socket connection, so
if you're buying in a shop or
perhaps even second-hand
then you're not I ikely to get the
two confused.
Buying second-hand is
perhaps not the best thing to
do as regards joysticks, unless
you can see it in action and the
whole unit still feels sturdy, as
by their nature joysticks take a
lot of hammering. The connec-
tions inside can easily work
loose, so you might wind up
with a stick which will only let
you move in one direction —
that doesn’t do much for those
high score tables.
Some of you may even be
wonderingwhetheryou need to
buy a joystick at al I . If you're at
all keen on playinggamesthen
you should certainly do so if
you can afford it. It's true that
most games offer either
keyboard or joystick control,
butanincreasingnumber don’t
offer the keyboard option, and
you can certainly get finer
control of movement with a
joystick, particularly if you get
confused with the cluster of
cursor keys.
In games requiring eight-
directional movement, trying
to cope with just a keyboard
can result in a severe case of
knitted fingers.
Fortunately most joysticks
today are made to cope with
eight directions, whereas a
year or so ago many would only
respond to the four compass
points, and you would need to
watch out for these restric-
tions.
Even so, those four addition-
al directions of movement fre-
quently cause problems. I used
the Electric Software game
Shark Hunter to see how diffe-
rent joysticks fared with the
need to register eight different
directions. Also used were two
Konami titles, with Tennis
mainly testing subtlety of
movement and Hyper Olympic
1 fa robustness, although all
the joysticks tested have been
in constant use in the What
MSX? office for some time.
What has to be said, though,
is that response to joysticks
differs from person to person,
and while it's possible to give a
reasonably objective criticism
of a computer or printer, say,
that's much more difficult with
ajoystick: some I ike small slim
ones, others I ike them so large
they look like they've come
straight off a jumbo jet flight
deck. This is also an area
where you don't necessarily
get what you pay for: cheap
sticks can be better than the
mae expensive gizmos.
Reasonably priced at £8.95
is the Slik Stik, one of several
produced by Suncom in Amer-
ica, as you might guess from
the spelling. This is definitely
not one for the macho types.
For such a dainty object,
though, it was robustly built
and gave excel lent response to
HyperOlympic 1, where the top
of the stick could be cupped in
the palm of the hand and
rattled back and forth for the
running events. It gave good
eight-way reactions, far better
than most, and the only draw-
back was the single tiny fire-
button on the front left of the
base.
In fact I preferred it to the
next model up in the Suncom
range, the Starfighter, at
£10.95. Described as The
Ultimate Joystick,' it looks
mae like a miniature traffic
bollard, being a plain stick
about 1.5 inches high.
The base and fire button are
obviously from the same mould
as the Slik Stik, though the
button on this one wouldn't
Atari Joysticks are MSX compatible
respond to two quick succes-
sive pushes, making it im-
possible to serve at Tennis. It
didn't seem to have the same
delicate responses as the Slik
Stik, but it is sturdy and copes
with Hyper Olympic wel I .
Tac-2is£15.95andaslight-
ly larger version of the other
Suncom sticks. It has the
advantage of two large fire-
buttons on either side of the
base front, is solidly built and
coped best with the rigours of
Hyper Olympic, but eight- way
movement was poor and it was
rather sluggish generally in its
responses.
My tennis reputation was
saved, though, when I switch-
ed to a Wi co joystick, The Boss.
Taking over a game at 0-40 I
proceeded to serve my first
ace, win the game, and the
fol lowing two as wel I .
The little player moved about
the court like a manic Navrati-
lova, and although the stick
doesn't look very attractive in
grey, black and white, and in
fact it has a rather loose feel to
it when you move it, so that
you’re worried you’re going to
wrench the stick off the base,
the response it gave was fast
and spot-on.
It was one of the best for
eight-way control, and was
less happy though no worse
than many on Hyper Olympic.
The main complaint was only
having a single fire button on
the top of the stick itself (a
properly shaped handgrip) but
that was a minor niggle.
Wico also manufactures
Command Control, another
high-quality joystick, this one
offering either a square-style
moulded handgrip ora circular
grip, with a fire-button on top of
the handle and a second on the
front left on the base. There is
also a switch which allows you
to use both buttons as fire
buttons, or to use the top
button as a fire button and the
Something quite different — no stick!
base one as a reset button.
This odd addition can be
useful ora nuisance, although
the switch isn't easily moved
across by accident, and the
stick itself offers fast and
accurate control.
TheGunshotjoystickhastwo
fire-buttons, one on the front
left of the base a nd the second
rather badly placed on the
handle — it’s rather too far
back to get your thumb on
it comfortably. This is also
one of the most unattractive
and cheap-looking joysticks
around, with the beige and
olive plastic moulding seem-
ingto be on the verge of coming
apart.
After regular use in the
office, the joystick now won't
respond to right-hand move-
ment , which is a great shame
as otherwise response was
quite good, though I wouldn’t
put money on it lasting a
lifetime.
A personal favourite of mine
is the Competition-Pro, which
has seen service on a Spec-
trum, Commodore 64 and now
an MSX machine. It has a large
fire-button on either side of the
frontof the base, and its stubby
appearance belies the deli-
cate control it offers in most
games. Unfortunately it
doesn’t cope with eight-direc-
tional games too well, and I
wouldn’t like to run too many
Hyper Olympic races with it —
this really does put a joystick,
as well as the player, through
its paces.
Not all joysticks are conven-
tionally constructed, and
Spectravideo has produced a
Quickshot, which is an attempt
to emulate the tracker-balls of
the arcades. This is simply a
mouse-type base, with fire-
buttons either side of the
‘nose’ and a large flat-topped
button set into the base to
control the movement.
It's very hard to get used to
Blast aliens from a distance
the unusual finger-movement
required, particularly in Tennis
where you’re doing some fine-
manoeuvring, but if you're
used to arcade-type controls
then this could suit you.
There are also remote-con-
trol gadgets around, such as
the Sony JS-75, though
whether you want to fork out
£64.95 just to blast aliens
from a distance is up to you.
The device itself is rather
awkward to hold, and like some
others it seems to be trying to
ignore the fact that most joy-
sticks are conventionally built
because that's proved to be the
bestwayofmakingthem do the
job they do.
If you want to sit back and
knock spots off Invaders or
even tennis players then the
Silica Shop has imported
several useful items, including
a 12-foot coiled extension
cable which plugs into the joy-
stick port and then accepts
your joystick in the other end.
There's also a Double-Play
adaptor that plugs into both
ports and allows one joystickto
control them, giving the player
the chance to take alternate
turns on two-player games
without swapping leads
around, or you could simply
play with yourself, as it were,
on two-player options.
Finally, there's the South-
paw, which swaps all joystick
controls around for left-hand-
ers, so if you want your
spaceship to move up when
you push down then this could
be for you. Alternatively you
could simply turn the joystick
upside down if the fire-button
was still accessible.
I'm not sure how useful this
last device really is, though if
you connect all three together
you can take both turns killing
aliens left-handed from a dis-
tance of 12 feet! How much
more joy could a joystick _
possibly give you? H
A flurry of book
publishing activity
accompanied the MSX
launch. We look at
the best
available titles
I f you’ve bought an MSX
micro and can’t make head
or tall of the manufacturer’s
manuals, don’t despair. The
launch of a new computer
always heralds the publishing
of a wealth of titles each
claiming to be the definitive
guide — and MSX is no excep-
tion.
Even before the machines
were officially announced
Jonathan Pearce and Graham
Bland jumped onto the im-
pending bandwagon with MSX
An Introduction. The acknow-
ledgement to Spectravideo
and the appendices highlight-
in g the d i ff erences between its
BASIC and MSX-BASIC ex-
plains how their title hit the
bookstalls in record time, mak-
ing it the first guide to MSX.
And it was soon followed by
many others with similarly un-
inspiring titles.
There are now as many
books as machines on the
market and they tend to fall
into three main categories; for
the complete beginner, for
those with previous home com-
puter experience but new to
MSX and for those who are
experienced BASIC program-
mers and interested in
machine code.
c if nncB n
cArUMUl
■
H < ■> : •/ ,JA
3 St & ■ ■
L
i
k
If you're a complete begin-
ner steer clear of Bland and
Pearce’s contribution to MSX
(even though it's pitched atthe
uninitiated). Not only isitfull of
typographical errors, inaccu-
rate and nonsensical flow
charts but it introduces such
terms as strings and sub-
routines without offering ex-
planations, a sure way to
confuse and lose novices. And
to cap it all there isn’t even an
index!
In complete contrast is Tony
Marriot’s Starting With The
MSX. This is aimed specif ical ly
at the first time user and kicks
off with an explanation of
computer jargon before going
on to describe the layout of the
keyboard and the functions of
the various keys.
Most beginners will find this
an easy and informative read
but whether it warrants a price
tag of £5.95 is debatable as
it’s noticeably full of 'creative’
white space.
Lowerdownthe price scale is
An Introduction To MSX BASIC
costing a mere £2.50. Like
Marriot'sbook it too isaimedat
first time users who’ve prob-
ably exhausted the novelty of
games playing and want to
write programs of their own.
Readers with pre-MSX prog-
ramming experience will also
find it a good read as it covers
MSX’s music capabilities and
shows how to create a three
part harmony. It pays consider-
able attention to multicolour
and sprite graphics whereas
many introductory books only
give them a fleeting mention.
However, if you're not a
novice, but are hankering after
something a little more meaty
and own a Spectravideo, Brian
Boyde-Shaw's book might
appeal. Getting more from
MSX — With Spectravideo And
All MSX Computers, tells you
who the text is primarily written
for.
Beginners will find the first
chapter a struggle as will
non-Spectravideo owners . . .
despite the title. Like Pearce
and Bland, Boyde-Shaw wrote
An Introduction to MSX BASIC
MSX An Introduction
Very BASIC BASIC
Working with MSX BASIC
Teach Yourself Computer
Programming in MSX BASIC
Starting with the MSX
MSX Exposed
The Complete MSX Programmers
Guide
Introducing MSX BASIC
MSX BASIC Revealed
A Programmer's Guide to the MSX
System
Getting more from MSX with
Spectravideo and all MSX
computers
Introducing MSX assembly
language and machine code
Starting machine code on the MSX
Practical MSX machine code
Babani £2.50
Century £7.95
Century £2. 95
Collins£7.95
Hodder/Stoughton £3.50
Kuma £5.95
Melbourne House £7.95
Melbourne House £14.95
Micro Books £6.95
Penguin £6.95
Sigma £7.95
Sigma £7.95
Collins £8.95
Kuma £7.95
Virgin £4.95
his book prior to the MSX
launch. And I wouldn't mind
betting that he originally wrote
it around Spectravideo's SV
318 and SV 328 machines and
then hastily revamped the
book when those machines
were dropped and the 'real'
MSX machines were brought
out.
A novel feature of the title is
that each new concept intro-
duced is presented as a prob-
lem to be solved. The program
which solves the problem is
then illustrated and explained.
As a supplement to a manu-
facturer's manual (namely
Spectravideo’s) this book is a
good buy; owners of other
machines would do better
looking elsewhere to spend
their£7.95.
Like I said before there'sa lot
of books lying around with the
familiar and much over-used
title ‘An introduction to ... '
and Kuczora and King's Intro-
ducing MSX BASIC is yet
another.
Aimed atthe new MSX owner
who has previous computing
experience, in other words a
pre-MSXer, the authors fall
into the usual trap of explain-
ing the whole concept of
MSX ... if readers have MSX
machines then they must sure-
ly know what the MSX standard
is, or at least have an inkling?
The authors stress that there
is no substitute for hands-on
experience. With this in mind
the book has been split into
three sections. The third sec-
tion contains five program-
ming projects which have been
chosen to ‘represent as wide a
cross section as possible of
the range of uses to which a
home computer can be put’.
It sounds good but what
you’re offered is three games,
an educational game and a
very familiar utility — an
address book. MSX's music
abilities have been totally
ignored.
But, to give it credit, the
projects are well thought out.
Starting from scratch you are
shown step-by-step how to
build up a program.
Joe Pritchard has broken
away from the ‘An Introduction
to ... ’ mould and has a more
meaningful title for his book,
MSX Exposed and expose it he
does!
Writing in much the same
vein as Tony Marriot he knows
exactly who his readers are —
newcomers — and adopts a
tutorial approach beginning
with BASIC programming
through to machine code.
Pritchard is meticulously
thorough . Every program state-
ment is carefully explained and
backed up with demonstration
programs, tables of vital mem-
ory locations and system vari-
ables. If you're looking for a
broad perspective on MSX’s
capabilities then this is the
book to go for.
However, if it sounds too
advanced because you've not
got much further than switch-
ing your micro on. Very BASIC
BASIC could well solve the
problem.
This is a title that should be
standard issue with every MSX
computer. It caters for the
non-technical novice and
starts off with a reassuring
‘Don't Panic!' and then famil ia-
risesthe reader with the part of
the computer that is used first
—the keyboard.
Once that's out of the way
basic programming techni-
ques are introduced. All the
examples are presented in the
form of a quiz, game or self-
questionnaire which adds to
VERY BQ
BO
the book's appeal and just
goes to show that lear n i ng how
to program can and should be
fun.
All thisfor£2.95. The author
avoids high falutin technical
jargon — it really can be
classified as an ‘introductory’
text.
Slightly higher up the price
scale at£3.50 is a very down to
earth text with a slant towards
the more ‘professional’ com-
puter user. Arithmetic and sci-
entic functions are heavily
emphasised throughout.
Both authors have taught in
colleges of higher education
— the give-away is that the
chapters are liberally scat-
tered with 'problems' for the
reader to solve.
This is by no stretch of the
imagination a ‘I ight' read, but it
gets the message across loud
and clear and at £3.50 will
hardly break the bank.
So many titles claim to cater
for the novice and the experi-
enced programmer, including
MSX BASIC Re vea led by Pa I m er
and Richards. Having read the
text from cover to cover it’s the
novice who'll get most benefit
from the first nine chapters, as
the experienced bods will
already understand strings
and variables.
And I'm not convinced that
they will want to part with
£6.95 j ust to glean a few tasty
morsels out of the last few
chapters on colour, graphics
and sprites.
It's written very much in the
same vein as Ian Sinclair's
Working With MSX BASIC. He
has the edge over Palmer and
Richards as he goes a step
further and gives more space
to graphics and sound.
Both titles are worth delving
into but for more experienced
programmers I'd recommend a
more advanced title such as A
Programmer’s Guide to the
MSX System.
This is compelling reading
but only for the competent
programmer and those in-
terested in machine code. It is
a very meaty title and might be
heavy going.
This is a difficult book to get
into but if you're interested in
writing high performance prog-
rams and improving your
machine coding this is the
book to buy.
At £14.95 The Complete
MSX Programmers Guide is
currently the most expensive
title on the bookstalls. But
when you see how many pages
it has (568) and run your eyes
down the contents page you'll
see that it's not just another
text book but a programmer's
bible designed to be continual-
ly referred to.
It contains just about every-
thing and could quite easily
have been called Everything
You Wanted To Know About
MSX But Were Afraid To Ask. It
is an invaluable guide for all
MSX users from novice to the
most advanced.
There aren't that many titles
available yet for the third
category, those interested in
machine code, but the three
I've come across offer a sound
introduction to the subject.
Most people turn to machine
code because it offers better
facilities for creating stunning
graphics and sound effects,
higher speeds and more effi-
cient use of memory than is
possible using BASIC alone.
Steve Webb's Practical MSX
Machine Code Programming 'is
a good place to start if you're
new or vaguely familiar with
code. Webb restricts the scope
of his coverage very tightly in
order to cover a few areas in
terms that any BASIC program-
mer can understand.
Having said that, the book
doesn't teach mach i ne code as
such but assembly language
and it doesn't really do that
either. What it does is to offer
an overview of both, so it might
be an idea to supplement it
with Introducing MSX Assem-
bly Language and Machine
Code which really does do the
business.
In complete contrast is Rid-
ley’s contribution, Starting
Machine Code On The MSX.
All I can say is that Ridley
obviously knows his stuff but
has problems putting it down i n
print. He seemsto be improvis-
ing the book as he goes along,
a sure way to baffle novices
and frustrate those more ex-
perienced.
Whether you're a novice to
home computing, a pre-MSXer
or interested in machine code
there are plenty of books to
choose from to suit a 1 1 pockets .
And by the time you read this
there'll be a few more
titles on the bookstalls.
■
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The Independent Group of Electrical Retailers
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Station Road
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Pulborough (07982) 2237
FRED MOORE LTD
15-17 SOUTHGATE
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Tel: (0442) 67763
Your local Toshiba MSX stockist
(SANYO/SONY ALSO IN STOCK)
J. G. GIBBONS & SONS LTD
1 36 Conway Road 373 Abergele Road
Colwyn Bay Old Colwyn
Tel : (0492) 2942 Tel : (0492) 51 8288
Harmony House Buildings
St George’s Place, Llandudno
Tel: (0492) 74610
£50 part exchange on any old computer
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Tel: (0926) 492827
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call for a
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JOYSTICKS £ 12.95
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PAYMENT BY ACCESS/BARCLAYCARD
PHONE ORDERS DELIVERED BY SECURICOR £6
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AUDIO, VIDEO & DOMESTIC APPLIANCE CENTRE
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See the full Toshiba range
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10 Howe Walk, Burnley
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Tel: (0282) 37118
MAJOR
SUPPLIERS
A&F Software
Unit8
Canalside Industrial Estate
Woodbine Street East
Rochdale
Lancs
(0706) 341111
Activision (UK) Inc.
15 Harley House
Marylebone Rd
London NW1
01-486 7588
Alllgata Software Ltd
1 Orange Street
Sheffield SI 4DW
(0742) 755796
Ampalsoft
PO Box 19
Knutsford
Cheshire WA16 OHE
(0565) 893563
Anlrog Software
29 West Hill Dartford
Kent
(0322) 92513
Artie Computing Ltd
Main Street
Brandesburton
Driffield
Nth. Humberside
(0401) 435533
ASK
London House
68 Upper Richmond Road
London SW15
01-874 6046
Bubble Bus Software
87 High Street
Tonbridge
Kent TN9 1RX
(0732) 355962
CDS
Silver House
Si Iver Street
Doncaster DN1 1HL
(0302) 21134
Computer Mates Ltd
PO Box 2
Houghton Down
Stockbridge
Hampshire S020 6LE
(0264) 810824
CRL
9 Kings Yard
Carpenter's Rd
London E15
01-533 2918
Electric Software Ltd
8 Green Street
Willingham
Cambridge CB4 5JA
(0954) 81991
Hlsoft
180 High Street North
Dunstable
Beds LU6 1AT
(0582) 696421
Intelligent Software Ltd
37 Bedford Square
London WC1 3HW
01-636 7017
Kemp Ltd
43 Muswell Hill
London N10
01-444-5499
Knights TV and Computers
108 Rose Mount Place
Aberdeen AB2 4YW
(0224) 630526
Konaml Ltd
269 Field End Road
Eastcote
Middlesex HA4 9LS
01-429 2446
Kuma Computers Ltd
Unit 12
Horseshoe Park
Horseshoe Road
Pangbourne
Berks RG8 7JW
(07357) 4335
Level 9 Computing
229 Hughenden Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP13 5PG
(0494) 26871
Llamasoft Ltd
49 Mount Pleasant
Tadley
Hants RG26 6BN
(07356) 4478
Longman Software
Longman House
Burnt Mill
Harlow
Essex CM20 2JE
(0279) 26721
Mastertronlc Ltd
Park Lome
111 Park Road
London NW8 TJL
01-935 4944
M.C.Lothlorlen
56A Park Lane
Poynton
Cheshire SK12 1AE
(0625) 876642
Megacycal Software Ltd
PO Box 6
Birkenhead
Merseyside
L43 6XH
051-652 3139
Micro Aid
25 Fore Street
Praze, Camborne
Cornwall
TR14 OJX
(0209) 831274
Mlcrocom
67 Gestridge Road
Kingsteignton
Devon
TQ12 3HJ
(0626) 60473
Microsoft
Piper House
Hatch Lane
Windsor
Berks
(07535) 59951
Mlrrorsoft
Mirror Group Newpapers
Holborn Circus
London EC1 1DQ
01-822 3971
Morwood
Maple Walk
Bexh i 1 1
East Sussex TN39
(04243) 5840
Mr Micro Ltd
69 Partington Lane
Swinton
Manchester
M27 3AL
061-728 2282
Music Sales
78-79 Newman St
London WIT 3LA
01-636 7777
Ocean Software
Ocean House
6 Central Street
Manchester M25 5NS
061-832 6633
Office Junior
Market Place
Oundle
Nr Peterborough
PE8 4BA
(0832) 72127
Orpheus Software
The Smithy
Unit 1
Church Farm
Hatley St George
Nr Sandy
Beds SG19 3HP
(0767) 51481
Panasonic (UK) Ltd
300-318 Bath Road
Slough
Berks SL1 6JB
(75) 34522
PSS
452 Stoney Stanton Road
Coventry CV6 5DG
(0203) 667556
Qulcksilva Ltd
Palmerston Park House
13 Palmerston Road
Southampton SOI ILL
(0703) 20169
Silver soft
London House
271 King Street
London W6
01-748 4125
Software Projects
Bearbrand Complex
Allerton Road
Woolton
Liverpool L25 7FS
(051) 428 9393
Sony (UK) Ltd
Sony House
South Street
Staines
Middlesex TW18 4PF
(81) 61688
Spectravldeo Ltd
165 Garth Road
Morden
Surrey SM4 4LM
01- 330 0101
Tasman Software Ltd
Springfield House
Hyde Terrace
Leeds LS2 9LN
(0532) 438301
Terminal Software
Derby House
Derby Street
Bury BL9 ONW
061-761 4321
Toshiba (UK) Ltd
Toshiba House
Frimley Road
Frimley, Camberley
Surrey GU16 5JJ
(0276) 62222
Virgin Games
2- 4 Vernon Yard
Portobello Road
London Wll 2DX
01-727 8070
Visions
1 Felgate Mews
Stud land Street
London W6 9JT
01-748 7478
Over the next 15 pages you’ll
find all the information you
need to build up a complete
MSX system
C onfused by computers?
Puzzled by peripherals?
Stonkered by software?
Here are the answers — or at
least the Information that will
get you on the right track. This
is as comprehensive a guide as
has been humanly possible to
compile of the MSX computer
scene. It details machines,
peripherals and programs that
are, or are due to be, available.
Itisdivided into six sections,
over the next 16 pages.
We kick off with a di-
agrammatic overview of an
MSX computer system — what
plugs into what, what different
things to do and so forth. Be
warned, there's no such thing
as a complete system. You'll
be bankrupt before you get
anywhere near buying all the
things that you can use with
your MSX computer.
The first main listing is a
comparative chart of all cur-
rently available MSX compu-
ters. Many are reviewed in this
issue of What MSX? The com-
parative table shows how they
stack up against each other for
price, features and so forth.
You should be able to compile
a shortlist if you haven't
already settled on a favourite
machine.
If you're a games player, you
must consult the buyers' guide
to joysticks. Here you’ll find
details of all kinds of joysticks,
including paddles, remote
control units, trackballs, and
so forth. The aliens will never
stand a chance!
To improve the quality of
your image, consultthe buyers’
guide to monitors. We've the
facts on just about every moni-
tor costing less than £500. If
you think that your games look
good on the domestic televi-
sion, wait till you see what a
monitor does to them. We've
got a full explanation of all the
terms you'll meet in the
monitor world too.
For hard print, the buyers'
guide to printers has all the
hard facts. Over 100 printers
are listed, costing up to
£1,000 or so. Some are super
fast, others offer super quality.
Some do colour, some run
silently. Some can be used as
an electronic typewriter,
others as viewdata terminals.
There’s a tremendous variety
of printers to choose from, and
this guide should put you on
the right path.
The last section of the
Buyers’ Guide lists MSX soft-
ware. Some of it may not be
available immediately, but is
promised for the near future.
As there are so many soft-
ware packages available,
we’ve grouped them into cate-
gories. These are games,
education, business, utility
and other. We've listed the
supplier of each package, and
you'll find addresses and
'phone numbers of suppliers.
Some of the software may not
be available through your local
MSX dea ler , so you may have to
order direct.
Prices throughout are
approximate only. Peripherals
may be discounted, particular-
ly if they are popular and widely
available. Computer prices
can vary from shop to shop too.
Check out advertised prices.
With the huge amount of
MSX hard and software arriving
on the market, we’re sure you’l I
find just what you are looking
for to make your MSX system
do what you want it to.
JOYSTICK
The most popular games controller,
the joystick has one of two fire
buttons and relays the player’s move-
ments to the computer. Some joy-
sticks are available with continuous
fire buttons forthe cheats among us!
LANGUAGES
Computer languages are coded in-
structions. There is a wide variety of
languages available each with its
own application. MSX BASIC spoken
here!
High level languages are computer
languages easily understood by you
and I but not by the processor.
Low-level languages (like Machine
Code) are much closer to the lan-
guage of the processor but are
difficult to read by humans and hard
to edit. The benefit of programming
in a low level language is the higher
speed at which it runs.
BASIC. This stands for Beginners'
All-purpose Symbolic Instruction
Code. Though developed as an intro-
ductory language it has now become
one of the most widely used lan-
guages for home computing. Various
dialects exist.
MSX BASIC. This is the extended
version of BASIC written by the
Microsoft Corporation as used on all
MSX computers.
ASSEMBLERS etc
Assembler. Correctly called assem-
bly language, this exists between the
high level programming language
and Machine Code which it gener-
ates. Assembler carries over some of
the benefits of a high level language
(labels etc) yet is fast to run.
Compiler. This is a program which
translates your program into
Machine Code— permanently. Com-
piled programs are quick to run but
very hard to edit.
Interpreter. Unlike the compiler, an
interpreter translates your program
into Machine Code one line at a time.
This makes programs slower to run
but relatively easy to edit.
MOUSE
An alternative way to control the
screen cursor. Works rather like a
‘rolling joystick’, the mouse’s move-
ments over your desk top are mimick-
ed by the cursor on the screen. Good
for building graphics.
UGHTPEN
The light sensitive elementattheend
of a light pen sends signals to the
computer via a modulator which
interfaces through the cartridge port.
Light pens can be used f oreducation-
al games, graphics or any program
which involves selecting from lists
(menu driven).
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GRAPHICS TABLET
The computer equivalent of the
Etch-A-Sketch! The stylus is used to
draw lines on the tablet proper while
the palette is used to choose colours
and hatch patternsforoutline filling.
MUSIC KEYBOARD
To enable computers to have quick
access to music without the prob-
lems of coding or notation some
manufacturers are producing 2Vi or
4 octave keyboards which wi I plug in
to interface cards for the MSX
expansion bus.
INTERFACES
The 50pin input/output socket (ex-
pansion bus) on the MSX computer
offers expansion possibilities
through the use of dedicated plug-in
modules. Called ‘cards’ these cir-
cuits can either expand the operation
of the micro (an 80 column card for
word processing or a data cartridge)
or enable the computer to be inter-
faced with specialised inputdevices,
light pens, music keyboards etc.
CPU
The Central ProcessorUnlt is simply a
vast array of electronic switches
which can either be on or off. These
two states are represented by binary
(base two) notation; there are two
binary digits (bits), namely 0 and 1.
Machine Code. This is the language
of the processor. This is called a
low-level language because it is
removed from the quasi-English of a
high-level language like BASIC.
KEYBOARD
The Keyboard is the traditional inter-
face between humans and the com-
puter. The standard QWERTY layout is
supplemented by some special keys
on the MSX keyboard. The function
keys marked F1-F10 allow complex
commands to be entered at one key
stroke.
Fourcursorkeysare usedtomovethe
cursor up, down and across the
screen. Some games programs can
be played with just the cursor keys
and require no joystick control.
A GRAPH (Graphics) key allows the
QWERTY keyboard to enter symbols
with one key stroke. The GRAPH key
works like the SHIFT key.
The full 73 key set is made up with
four keys which allow insertion and
deletion, one which returns the
cursor to the top left of the cleared
screen and one, SELECT, which is of
use in WP and data entry programs
but has no use in BASIC.
MEMORY
RAM (Random Access Memory) the
amount of memory quoted in K
(Kilobyte).
ROM (Read Only Memoiy) this is the
memory ‘setup’ by the manufacturer.
MSX Basic language is stored here.
Like RAM this is quoted in K.
Byte. Memory is determined by the
number of characters which can be
stored. A character is coded by an
8 bit binary word which is called a
byte.
Kilobyte. As computer mathematics
are binary (to the base of 2) the
nearest binary number to 1000 is
1024. 1024 Bytes make one Kilo-
byte. Megabyte and Gigabyte are
terms for even larger numbers of
bytes.
User RAM. Computers tend to use a
lot of RAM when asked to generate
high resolution graphics, to run other
languages or specialised peripher-
als. User RAM is what’s left over for
your programming!
GENERAL
Software is the general term for
computer programs. Hardware is
everything else, the processor,
keyboard etc. Firmware is software
stored in a ‘hard’ form, cartridges and
ROM chips are good examples.
Peripherals. The bolt-on goodies.
This term covers, printers, plotters,
joysticks, monitors and the like.
VDUs. A general term for a visual
output; standsfor Visual Display Unit
and covers monitors, and TVs.
CARTRIDGE
The quickest way to load a program,
but as yet the most expensive.
Programs are permanently stored on
a micro chip in the cartridge case
which interfaces through a 50 pin
cartridge socket.
DATA STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
Disks and Compact Cassettesa rethe
most common forms of permanent
data storage. Both are magnetic
record/erase devices. Disks offer
faster access to a greater amount of
stored information. Cassettes are
slow but cheap.
Disksaredivided up intotracksand
sectors. The computer needsto know
where data has been stored; this
’housekeeping' function is run by a
program called the Disk Operating
System (DOS) . The MSX-DOS (Micro-
Soft Extended Disk Operating Sys-
tem) is used by MSX machines. CP/Hfl
DOS (Control Program for Micros) is
data compatible.
DATA TRANSMISSION
Computers can be networked to
enable one user to talk to others
individually or together through
‘electronic mailboxes’. The tele-
phone system can beused via special
adapters to let one computer talk to
others.
Modem stands for Modulator/De-
modulator, a Modem turns the tele-
phone system into a giant cable
between distant computers. The
Modem is a ‘black box’ which con-
verts the low voltage digital signals
from the computer into an analogue
signal which can be transmitted over
the 'phone system.
An Acoustic Coupler is a more
portable and often cheaper way of
interfacing a computer with the
‘phone network’. Here the computer
output is usedthrough a modulatoror
to drive a telephone handset through
a microphone and loudspeaker. Port-
able couplers offer the businessman
instant access to his data base back
at the office.
PRINTERS AND PLOTTERS
Dot matrix printers build up the
patterns of letters and characters by
a bank of pins striking through an
inked ribbon. Printqualityvariesfrom
terrible to good.
Daisywheel printers are named after
the spinning disc which carries the
type elements on its spokes. The very
highest print quality can be achieved
but speed and character set is often
limited.
Plotters. These draw graphs and
diagrams with a pen and can be either
of the flat bed or platen type. A choice
of pen colour is often offered.
Thermal printers. These offer fast,
quietbutlimitedqualityprintoftenon
especially treated paper which
reacts with heat to show visible
lettering. Material costs and print
quality are often a deciding factor
against such printers.
GETTING A PICTURE
All MSX computers will give sound
and pictures from a standard TV set
through their UHF output. A dedi-
cated monitor will give better resolu-
tion from the video output while the
audio output can be taken to a hi-fi
system if the monitor has no built in
loudspeaker. RGBoutputs alio w i ndi-
vidual control over the Red, Green
and Blue electron guns in the monitor
colour and can be used to produce
high quality graphic images.
SOUND
Computers have conventional audio
outputs which can be used to drive
the tape or tuner input of any hi-fi
system. MSX computers have three
separate channels of sound, and a
fourth channel of noise. Stereo
outputs are possible. A computer can
be used to define the precise wave-
formofasoundjustinthemannerofa
synthesiser.
TEXT
Computers are frequently used for
word processing, to write letters or
reports. Most text displays give 37
characters (or 40) by 24 lines. Real
word processor packages reform the
text screen to 80 characters (some to
64 characters wide). Powerful edit-
ing facilities enable the user to
delete and insert words, phrases or
paragraphs, to search for and correct
spelling. Dictionary programs can
also be bought.
GRAPHICS
The smallest unitof ‘graphic informa-
tion’ i s the pixel. This can be thought
of as the dot from which graphics can
be built up. The MSX system uses a
screen of 49152 pixels arranged in
256 columns of 192 lines.
Sprites are independently prog-
rammable groupings of pixels which
form a recognisable character which
can be ‘addressed’ around the
screen.
16 colours are available to the
programmer working in MSX.
BUYERS GUIDE
Spectravldeo X’Press £400
Spectravideo was largely responsible for developing the MSX
standard in the first place, but until now has kept very much in
the background. The X'Press, when it is eventually launched by
Spectravideo, will be the first MSX business oriented machine.
Its features include a built-in 3.5 inch disk drive, RS232C
inteface and an 80 column card.
With these facilities both MSX-DOS and CP/M operating
systems can be used.
It's a formidable computer and if it does sell for £400, the
X’Press will be hard to beat.
Toshiba HX-10 £239
Toshiba was the first Japanese maker to bring out an MSX
computer and have been the most active in promoting the
standard. The HX-10 is a mid-priced unit, currently supplied with
a package of software and widely available through major
multiples. It is a 64K machine with the usual range of interfaces,
though there is only one true cartridge port.
Toshiba's peripherals include a joystick, an RS232-C adaptor,
a dot matrix printer, a printer plotter and the usual array of data
recorders and monitors. They are also importing a range of
software on cassette.
COMPUTER
MEMORY
KEYBOARD
DISPLAY
INTERFACES
Maker
Model
L
Price
Total RAM
ROM Contents
Type
Numeric Keypad
Cursor
Output
Text format
Joysticks
Expansion bus
Cartridge port
Printer
Serial port
Cassette
j
Canon
V-20
£280
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
73 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF.CV
40x24
2
—
2
Centronics
DIN
Goldstar
FC-200
£139
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
7 3 key.
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
40x24
2
Yes
1
Centronics
—
DIN
JVC
HC-7
£279
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
72 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV,
RGB
40x24
2
—
2
Centronics
—
DIN
Mon
Mitsubishi
'
ML-F48
£219
48K
32K
32K M icrosoft
MSX BASIC
73 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
40x24
2
Yes
1
Centronics
DIN
Mon
Mitsubishi
ML-F80
£275
80K
64K
32K M icrosoft
MSX BASIC
73 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
40x24
2
Yes
1
Centronics
—
DIN
Panasonic
CF2700
£280
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
73 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
40x24
2
—
2
Centronics
DIN
Pioneer
PX-7
£300
48K
32K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
8K P-BASIC
76 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
RGB
40x24
2
—
2
Centronics
DIN
Moot
Sanyo
MCP-100
£299
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
73 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
40x24
2
Yes
1
Centronics
—
DIN
Mon
Sony
HB-75
£299
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
Sony Firmware
75 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV,
RGB
40x24
2
—
2
Centronics
—
DIN
Mott
Spectra*
video
SVI-728
£250
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
90 key,
full stroke
Yes
Keys
RF, CV
40x24
2
Yes
1
Centronics
—
DIN
Moot
Toshiba
HX-10
£239
80K
64K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
73 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
40x24
2
Yes
1
Centronics
—
DIN
Mon
Yamaha
CX5M
£449
48K
32K
32K Microsoft
MSX BASIC
73 key,
full stroke
No
Keypad
RF, CV
40x24
2
Yes
1
Centronics
—
DIN
Mon
CanonV-20 £280
Canon are perhaps better known for their cameras and copiers.
This is their only MSX micro and it conforms to standard 64K
specifications. The attention-grabbing feature is the extra large
cursor keypad that is excellent for games playing. There are two
joystick ports too, and the price is a I ittle lower than the top range
MSX rivals.
Canon's peripherals are limited to a joystick, though they do
make non-MSX printers. They are keeping a low profile in the
market, with machines available mainly through Comet and
Spectrum shops. The V-20 has few distinctive features, but does
all a 64K MSX micro should.
JVC HC-7 £279
JVC are big in the audio and video fields. In the computer field,
they are playing things cool. The HC-7 is a standard 64K MSX
machine, blessed with excellent styling and quality throughout.
There are no special features, though JVC do have plans for an
interface with video disc. They currently have a joystick and a
number of data recorders available. It is a case of watch this
space for other peripherals.
The JVC hasa middlingpriceand if looksmean anything, it isan
attractive machine. It offers nothing that other 64K machines
don’t have, other than style.
SOUND
OTHER
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No
No
No
Built-in
None
M(2), C, RF
Canon (UK) Ltd, Canon House, 2 Manor Rd,
Wallington, Surrey SM6 OAJ
Nov ’84
Canon’s effort isn’t a world beater, but it does
a more than adequate job
NO
No
No
Built-in
Demo,
lgame
M(2), C, RF
Microdealer (UK) Ltd, 29 Burrowfields,
Welwyn Garden City, Herts AL7 4SS
Mar ’85
The emphasis is on value for money and
durability
No
Yes
No
Built-in
1 utility,
lgame
M, C, RF
JVC, JVC House, 12 Priestley Way, Eldon
Wall Trading Estate, Staples Corner,
London NW2
Nov ’84
JVC offer style and support plus a ‘branded’
expansion into music and video accessories
No
No
No
Built-in
Demo,
6 games
M, C, RF
Mitsubishi Electric (UK) Ltd, Otterspool
Way, Watford, Herts WD2 8LD
Mar '85
Plenty going for it and excellent value for
money to boot
t
No
No
Built-in
Demo,
6 games
M, C, RF
Mitsubishi Electric (UK) Ltd, Otterspool
Way, Watford, Herts WD2 8LD
Nov '84
Those after a reliable, solid MSX computer
won’t go far wrong
[
No
No
Built-in
None
M, C, T(3)
Panasonic UK Ltd, 300-318 Bath Rd,
Slough, Berks SL1 6SB
Mar '85
The style of the Panasonic does make it stand
out from the crowd
\
Yes
No
Built-in
None
M(3), RF, CPU
keyboard
Pioneer High Fidelity, 116 Field Way,
Greenford, Middlesex UB6 8UZ
Sep ’85
Pioneer’s micro includes the P-BASIC
language turning it into a video controller
'
Yes
No
Built-in
Demo,
3 games
M(2), C, RF
Sanyo Marubeni (UK) Ltd, Sanyo House,
8 Greycaine Rd, North Watford, Herts
WD2 4UQ
Nov ’84
The Sanyo is one of the best MSX machines in
terms of quality
'
Yes
No
Built-in
3 utilities
(built-in)
M(2), C, RF
Sony (UK) Ltd, Sony House, South St,
Staines, Middx TW18 4PF
Nov '84
The Sony HB-75 shows what the MSX
standard could be all about
K
No
No
External
None
M, C, RF,
T ransf ormer
Spectravideo Ltd, 165 Garth Rd, Morden,
Surrey SM4 4LH
Nov '84
It is more a business than a games machine
*
No
No
Built-in
Demo,
3 games
M(2), C, RF
Toshiba Ltd, Toshiba House, Frimley Rd,
Frimley, Camberley, Surrey
Nov '84
One of the first and most numerous of the
MSX machines
•
No
No
External
Voicing
prog
YK-01
keyboard,
M, C, RF
-.v'-v ’ '.••v.^S^ggx X«Xr vX'v’.y - ,<|v jjKvYv!' ‘ ’’fsvlv • !- • *X> » v)
Kemble-Yamaha Music (UK) Ltd, Mount
Ave, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK1 1JE
Mar ’85
As a synthesizer for the home, it is a super
instrument
Whether you're attacking
mutant hordes or rescuing
maidens in distress you'll find
a joystick invaluable.
For two player games, a pair
is essential. There's a huge
choice.
Our gu ide sets outthe impor-
tant facts about MSX-compati-
ble joysticks and will help you
make sense of the variety of
models available.
Foreach joystick we've listed
the number of fire buttons,
whether it has a fast fire
facility, the number of firing
directions controls, the type of
feet, if any, the cord length, the
supplier and of course the
price.
Model
Number
of Fire
Buttons
Firing
Direc-
tions
Fast
Fire
Feet
Length
of Cord
Price
Supplier
Atari CX-40
1
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
120cm
£7.99
Atari
International
(0753) 33344
Atari CX-24
Super-
Controller
2
8 way
No
None
100cm
£9.99
Atari
International
Atari Trak-Ball
CX-80
n/a
Infinite
Yes
Rubber
feet
100cm
£19.99
Atari
International
Bat Handle
2
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
100cm
£27.99
Consumer Games
Ltd (CGL)
01-508 5600
The Boss
1
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
lOOcn
£17.95
CGL
Canon VJ200
2
8 way
No
Suction
cups
120cm
£10.95
Canon (UK) Ltd
01-7733173
Champion
2
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
100cm
£11.99
CGL
Competition
Pro 1000
1
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£8.95
Kempston Micro
Electronics
(0234) 856633
Computer
Command
2
8 way
Yes
Rubber
feet
150cm
£27.95
CGL
Formula 1
3
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£16.95
Kempston Micro
Electronics
Formula 2
2
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£11.95
Kempston Micro
Electronics
Hypershot
2
n/a
No
Rubber
feet
110cm
£15.20
Konami Ltd
01-429 2446
Joy Card
2
8 way
No
Hand
held
120cm
£8.95
Hudson Soft
(UK) Ltd
01-4583310
Model
Number
of Fire
Buttons
Firing
Direc-
tions
Fast
Fire
Feet
Length
of Cord
Price
Supplier
Junior Pro
1
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£5.99
Kempston Micro
Electronics
JVC HCJ615
2
8 way
No
Suction
cups
150cm
£12.95
JVC (UK) Ltd
01-450 3282
The Kraft
1
8 way
No
Hand
held
200cm
£13.95
Silica shop
01-309 1111
Kraft Switch
Hitter
2
8 way
Yes
Rubber
feet
150cm
£14.95
Silica Shop
01-309 1111
Lightning
Deluxe
1
8 way
.No
Suction
cups
120cm
£9.95
Lightning
01-969 5255
Marconi RB2
Tracker-Ball
n/a
n/a
Yes
Rubber
feet
100cm
£89.50
Central Trade
Exchange
(0582) 64334
Microlink
Beam Stick
2
8 way
No
Hand
held
n/a
TBA
Microlink
(0730) 895296
Mitsubishi
ML50JY
2
8 way
No
Suction
cups
150cm
£15.00
Mitsubishi
(UK) Ltd
(0923) 770000
Vulcan MSX
2
8 way
No
Suction
cups
150cm
£12.95
Vulcan
Electronics
01-203 6366
Panasonic
CF2201
3
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£19.95
Panasonic
(UK) Ltd
(75) 34522
Pioneer PX-JY8
2
8 way
No
Suction
cups
250cm
£10.00
Pioneer
01-5755757
Pointmaster
1
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£14.65
Silica Shop
Pointmaster
Pro
1
8 way
Yes
Suction
cups
50cm
£14.95
Silica Shop
Quickshot 1
2
8 way
No
Suction
cups
120cm
£7.95
Spectravideo
Ltd
01-3300101
Quickshot 2
2
8 way
Yes
Suction
cups
150cm
£12.95
Spectravideo
Ltd
Quickshot 5
3
8 way
Yes
Suction
. cup |
150cm
£9.95
Spectravideo
Ltd
Quickshot 7
2
8 way
Yes
Hand
held
150cm
£11.95
Spectravideo
Ltd
Sanyo NJ002
2
8 way
No
Suction
cups
150cm
£12.99
Sanyo Marubeni
(0923) 46363
Scoreboard
2
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
100cm
£28.95
Kempston Micro
Electronics
Sony JS-55
3
8 way
Yes
Hand
held
115cm
£22.14
Sony (UK) Ltd
(81) 61688
Sony JS-75
3
8 way
Yes
Hand
held
Remote
control
£73.80
Sony (UK) Ltd
Sumlock
Pro-Ace
Competition
2
8 way
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£10.95
Sumlock
Electronics
061-834 4233
Super Champ
2
12 way
No
Suction
cups
300cm
£9.95
Dean Electronics
(0344) 885661
TG Enjoy stick
2
8 way
Yes
Suction
cups
100cm
£34.95
Silica Shop
Toshiba
HX-J400
2
Infinite
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£12.99
Toshiba (UK) Ltd
(0276) 62222
Tracker Ball RB2
2
Infinite
Yes
Rubber
feet
100cm
£59.50
Central Trading
Exchange
(0582) 64334
Voltmace
Delta 3SM
3
Infinite '
Yes
Hand
held
130cm
£12.00
Voltmace Ltd
(0462) 894410
Wico 3 way
Deluxe
(3 handles)
2
8 way
No
Sticky
feet
150cm
£22.95
CGL
Wico Red Ball
2
8 way
Yes
Rubber
feet
150cm
£19.95
CGL
Wico Trak-Ball
2
Infinite
No
Rubber
feet
150cm
£34.95
CGL
Colour monitors have been
designed specifically to dis-
play computer generated char-
acters and graphicsclearly and
efficiently. Eye strain is also
reduced.
Resolution refers to the
number of pixels (computer
defined dots) on the monitor
display surface. High and
medium resolutions contain
higher pixel densities then the
standard so can show more
detailed images.
Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT)
generate the monitor's visual
display and the size, usually
measured in inches refers to
the picture diagonal.
Display depends on the
monitor resolution. High and
medium resolutions can dis-
play 80 characters across 25
lines. Standard displays 40
characters across 25 lines.
There are two main ways of
sending a monitor signal. With
RGB [red, green and blue] the
three colours are sent as
separate signals. Only the
Sony and JVC will accept RGB
monitors. PAL or Composite
Video signals are sent with the
three colours already synchro-
nised.
Some monitors have the
facility to switch to a green
monochrome screen which is
useful for appl ications such as
word processing.
Model
Resolution
C.R.T.
Display
Input
Green Screw
Option
Built In
Speaker
Brightness
Contrast
Horizontal
Vertical
Case Colour
Supplier
Price
Commodore 1701
Medium
14in
40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Cream
Commodore (0536)
205555
; £230
Cub 1431 AP/MS
Standard
14in
40x25
J
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Beige
Microvitec
(0274) 390011
£259
Cub 1431 AP/DS
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Beige
Microvitec
£259
Cub 1451 AP/MS
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Beige
Microvitec
£344
Cub 1451 AP/DS
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Beige
Microvitec
£344
Cub 2030/CS
Standard
20in
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Beige
Microvitec
£443
Ferguson MC01
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dark Grey
Ferguson 01-807 3060
£230
Fidelity CM14
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Grey
Fidelity 01-965 8771
£200
Fidelity CTM1400
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Grey
Fidelity
£220
Fidelity CTV20T
Standard
20in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Teak
Fidelity
£300
Fidelity CTV22T
Standard
22in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Teak
Fidelity
£340
Grundig P40125
Medium
35.6cm
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
Grundig 01-659 2468
£220
Grundig P40145
Medium
35.6cm
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
Grundig
£260
Grundig P55145
Medium
50.8cm
80x25
RGB
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
Grundig
£360
Grundig C2402
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark Video Centre
(0636) 71475
£287
Grundig C3104
Standard
16in
40x25
RGB
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark
£300
Grundig C3404
Standard
16in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark
£344
Grundig C60100
Standard
20in
40x25,
RGB
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark
£340
Grundig C64100
Standard
20in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark
£378
Grundig C70100
Standard
22in
40x25
RGB
NO
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark
£378
Grundig C74100
Standard
22in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark
£418
Grundig C84100
Standard
26in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Newark
£546
Hantarex CT900/3
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
White
Hantarex 01-778 1414
£297
Hantarex CT900/D1
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
White
Hantarex
£297
Hantarex CT900/D
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
White
Hantarex
£435
Hantarex CT900/D1
Standard
26in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
White
Hantarex
£483
ITT RL 2315
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Grey
ITT Consumer Products
(0268) 3040
£223
ITT RL 2310/M
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Grey
in
£259
ITT CT 2600
Medium
22in
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Teak
in
£344
ITT CT 2700/M
Medium
26in
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Teak
in
£414
Kaga Vision Ex
Standard
12in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cream
Data Efficiency
(0442) 60155
£248
Kaga Vision II
Medium
12in
80x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
Yes
Cream
Data Efficiency
£328
Kaga Vision III
High
12in
80x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
Yes
Cream
Data Efficiency
£459
Luxor HR14
High
14in
80x25 f
RGB
No
No
Yes
No
Cream
Emco Electronics 01-737
0971
£516
Normende 1534
Standard
14in
g. 40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platinum,
Black, Grey
Nordmende (0296) 20501
£229
Nordmende 3510
Standard
lOin
40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platinum,
Black, Grey
Nordmende
£299
Nordmende 3534
Standard
14in
40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Red, Grey
Nordmende
£249
Nordmende 3636
Standard
16in
40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Grey
Nordmende
£299
Nordmende 3630
\ Standard
20in
40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platinum,
Black, Grey
Nordmende
£299
Nordmende 3532
■' Standard
22in
| 40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Walnut,
Platinum,
Black, Grey
Nordmende
£359
Nordmende 5102
Standard
22in
40x25
PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Walnut Grey
Nordmende
£449
Philips CT 2007
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Cream
Philips 01-689 2166
£263
Phoenix FTC-1203
High
12in
80x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
Yes
Cream
Emco Electronics
£459
Portatel
Standard
20in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
Portatel (76) 88972
£322
Portatel Luxor
Standard
16in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
Portatel
£344
Portatel 5634
Standard 1
22in
,40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
Portatel
£357
Portatel
§ Standard
26in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
No
Silver
Portatel
£403
Profeel KX 20PSI
Medium
20in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
No
Yes
Yes
Silver
Sony (81)61688
£500
Sabre
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
No
White
Cotron Electronics (0203)
21247
£523.25
Sabre-LP
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
No
White
Cotron Electronics
£561.20
Sanyo CD3125
Standard
14in
40x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
Yes
Cream
Sanyo (0923) 46363
£228.85
Sanyo CD3195
r Standard
14in
40x25
RGB/PAL
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
Sanyo
£309.35
Sanyo CD3117
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
Yes
Cream
Sanyo
£458.85
Sanyo CRT50
Medium
14in
80x25
RGB
No
No
Yes
Yes
Silver
Sanyo
£458.85j
Type: M — Dot matrix printer.
The image is printed by the
impact of pins from a pin
matrix, the particular pins de-
termining the shape of the
character. Dot matrix printers
are very fast.
D — Daisywheel printer.
These printers work rather like
electronic typewriters, using a
daisywheel of formed charac-
ters. Quality is high, but
speeds are slower and you are
I i m ited to the characters on the
daisywheel.
T — Thermal printer. The
print head is heated, thus
transferring inkto paper, using
a matrix of needles. These
printers run very quietly.
I — Inkjet printer. Squirts of
ink are directed at the paper to
form the characters. It is all
relatively new and pricey.
Matrix size: Applicable only to
dot matrixand thermal printers
— the number of pins used to
form a character. Maximum
figures are given, the more, the
better the quality.
Maximum speed: The number
of characters per second (cps)
that can be printed.
Paper width: The maximum
width of paper the printer will
take in inches.
Paper feed: T — T ractor feed .
Continuous paper, perforated
at the edges, is used and width
is adjustable.
P — Pinfeed. As tractor feed ,
but paper width is fixed.
F — Friction feed. The sort of
feed found on typewriters, for
one sheet of paper at a time.
Graphics: B — Block graphics.
Prints using set characters
provided by the printer.
H — Hi-res graphics. The
printer can print anything that
appears on the screen, in text
or graphics modes,
interface : C — Centronics. The
printer interface found on MSX
computers.
R — RS232C. An alternative
printer interface that can be
added to MSX computers.
Other: D — the printer will print
the lower portion of characters
that extend below the line (g,j
etc.)
M — the printer has a slower
printing speed to give near
letter quality printing.
B — the printer is battery
powered.
C — the pr i nter pri nts i n more
than one colour.
K — the printer has a
Model
Type
Matrix
Size
Max
Speed
Paper
Widths
Paper
Feed
Graphics
Interface
Other
Price
Supplier
ACT Writer 11
M
9x9
lOOcps
10
T,F
H
C
D
£327
ACT
ACT Writer 12
M
9x 7
163cps
—
T.F
H
C
D
£799
ACT
ACT Writer 12S
M
9x7
180cps
15
T.F
H
c
D
£799
ACT
ACT Writer 12FC
D
NA
180cps
15
T.F
H
c
D.C
£914
ACT
Brother HR5
M
9x9
30cps
8
F
H
C.R
B.D
£236
Brother
Brother EP44
M
24x18
16cps
8
F
—
R
K.B
£261
Brother
Brother HR15
D
—
13cps
13.5
F
—
C.R
D.C
£512
Brother
Brother HR25
D
NA
25cps
16.5
T.F
—
C.R
D.C
£863
Brother
Brother HR35
D
NA
35cps
16.5
T.F
—
C.R
D.C
£1,064
Brother
Canon T-22A
|
5x7
56cps
10
F
H
C
D
£160
Canon
Canon PW1080A
M
11 x 9
160cps
10
T.F
H
C
D
£401
Canon
Canon PW1156A
M
11x9
160cps
17
T.F
H
C
D
£516
Canon
Canon PJ1080A
1
7x9
37cps
8.5
F
H
C
C
£574
Canon
Centronics
GLP 30101-6
M
9x9
50cps
8
T.F
H
C
D
£234
Centronics
Centronics
Horizon 80
M
11x9
160cps
12
T.F
H
C
D.M
£392
Centronics
Centronics
Horizon 156
M
11x9
160cps
16.5
T.F
H
C
D.M
£572
Centronics
Centronics
Prinstation Q40
M
7x8
160cps
10
T
M
C.R
D
£1,178
Centronics
Citizen 560P
M
7x5
65cps
3y2
F
B
C.R
C
£126
Datac Ltd
Citizen 510
M
5x7
45cps
3
F
B
C.R
—
£217
Datac
C. Itoh 7500
M
9x9
105cps
11
T.F
B
C
—
£373
C. Itoh
C. Itoh 8510S
M
9x9
180cps
11
T.F
H
C.R
D
£598
C. Itoh
C. Itoh 8510SC
M
9x9
180cps
11
T.F
H
C.R
D.C
£633
C. Itoh
C. Itoh 1550S
M
9x9
180cps
15
T.F
H
C.R
D
£748
C. Itoh
C. Itoh 1550SC
M
9x9
180cps
15
T.F
H
C.R
D.C
£863
C. Itoh
Colourjet 132
1
5x8
40cps
8
F
H
C
C.D
£654
Integrex
Daisystep 2000
D
NA
20cps
13
F
—
C
—
£334
Micro P.
Dyneer DW16
D
NA
16cps
10
F
H
C
D
£329
X-Data
Dyneer DW20
D
NA
20cps
15
F
H
C.R
D
£535
X-Data
Dyneer DW36
D
NA
36cps
16.5
F
H
C.R
D
£890
X-Data
Epson P-40
T
7x9
45cps
4
F
H
C
D.B
£100
Epson
Epson RX-80/T
M
9x9
lOOcps
10
T
H
C
D
£286
Epson
Epson RX-80/FT
M
9x9
lOOcps
10
T.F
H
C
D
£328
Epson
Epson FX-80
M
9x9
160cps
10
T
H
C
D
£503
Epson
Epson DX100
D
NA
13cps
11
F
—
C.R
—
£546
Epson
Epson TX-80
M
9x9
160cps
10
T
H
C
D
£644
Epson
Epson MX-100
M
9x9
lOOcps
16
T
H
C
D
£546
Epson
Epson FX-100
M
9x9
80cps
16
T
H
C
D
£654
Epson
Getex D14
D
NA
13cps
13.5
F
—
C.R
—
£288
Geveke
Getex S11CQ
M :
9x7
lOOcps
—
T.F
H
C.R
D
£516
Geveke
Getex S31 CQ
M
9x7
lOOcps
15.5
T.F
H
C.R
D
£460
Geveke
Honeywell Lll-1
M
9x9
80cps
—
T.F
H
C
D
£401
Geveke 1
Honeywell
Sll-CQ
M
16x35
lOOcps
—
T.F
H
R
M.D
£516
Geveke
Honeywell
L31CQ
M
11 x 9
150cps
12
T
B
C
D
£776
Geveke
Janome
CP1018
M
—
180cps
13
T
B
C
C.D
£892
Thame
Systems
Juki 5510
M
9x9
180cps
10
T.F
H
C.R
—
£401
Micro P
Juki 6100
D
—
20cps
15.5
F
H
C
—
£458
Micro P
Juki 5520
M
9x9
180cps
10
T.F
H
C.R
C
£516
Micro P
Juki 6300
D
—
40cps
15.5
F
H
C
—
£1,034
Micro P
Kaitec KAI180
M
9x9
180cps
10
T.F
B.H
C.R
M.D
£401
Hudson
Kaitec KAI1800
M
9x9
180cps
16
T.F
B.H
C.R
M.D
£528
Hudson
Mannesman
Tally 80
M
9x7
80cps
10
T.F
B
C.R
D
£250
Mannes-
man Tally
Mannesman
Tally 160
M
9x7
160cps
10
T.F
B
C.R
D
£631
Mannes-
man Tally
Micro P CPA80
M
8x9
lOOcps
10
T.F
B
C
D.M
£229
Micro P
Micro P 165
M
9x9
165cps
10
T.F
H
C
D.M
£309
Micro P
Mitsui 2200
M
9x9
180cps
10
F
H
C
D
£516
Thame
Mitsui 4200
M
9x9
180cps
15
F
H
C
D
£643
Thame
NEC PC 8023
D
9x7
120cps
9
T.P.F
H.G
C
D
£229
NEC
NEC Pinwriter P2
M
7x9
180cps
10
T.F
—
C.R
D.M
£747
NEC
OKI Microline 182
M
9x9
120cps
10
P.F
B
C
D
£299
X-Data
OKI Microline 192
M
9x9
160cps
10
P.F
H
C
D
£399
X-Data
OKI Microline 193
M
9x9
160cps
15.5
T.F
H
C
D
£549
X-Data
OKI Microline 84
M
9x9
200cps
15.5
T.F
—
C
D.M
£799
X-Data
Olivetti DM5060
M
9x7
120cps
—
F
H
C
D
£459
Olivetti
Model
Type
Matrix
Size
Max
Speed
Paper
Widths
Paper
Feed
Graphics
Interface
Other
Price
Supplier
Olivetti DM4100
M
9x7
120cps
—
T.F
H
C
D
£666
Olivetti
Olympia
Compact
D
NA
14cps
13.5
T.F
C,R
£459
Intelligent
Olympia ESW 102
D
NA
17cps
17
F
—
C.R-
—
£650
Intelligent
Panasonic KXP-1091
M
9x9
120cps
10
T.F
H
C
D.M
£367
Northamber
Panasonic KXP-1092
M
9x9
180cps
10
T.F
H
C
D.M
£505
Northamber
Panther DX109
M
9x9
96cps
10
T.F
H
C
D
£229
Datac
Panther II DX120
M
9x9^
120cps
10
T.F
H
C
D.M
£367
Datac
Paper Tiger 8010
M
36x18
180cps
9
T.F
H
C.R
D.M
£539
Data-prod
Paper Tiger 8020
M
36x18
180cps
14
T.F
H
C.R
D.M
£642
Data-prod
Qume Letter Pro 20
D
NA
20cps
13
F
—
R.C
—
£604
Qume
Remstar 201
D
NA
13.3cps
13.5
F
—
C.R
K.D
£454
PMS
Seikosha GP-50A
M
5x8
40cps
5
F
H
C
—
£100
DRG
Seikosha GP-500A
M
5x7
50cps
10
T
—
C.R
—
£180
DRG
Seikosha 100A
M
5x7
50cps
10
T
—
C.R
- —
£169
DRG
Seikosha GP-550A
M
9x8
50cps
10
P.F
H
C
M.D
£230
DRG
Seikosha GP-250X
M
5x7
50cps
10
P.F
H
C.R
D
£270
DRG
Seikosha 700A
M
5x8
50cps
10
P.F
H
C.R
C
£350
DRG
Shinwa CPA80
M
13x9
lOOcps
10
T.F
B
C
D
£229
Micro P
Silver Reed
EXP400
D
NA
12cps
12
Wm
—
C.R
D
£288
Silver
Reed
Silver Reed
EXP500
D
NA
16cps
13
F
—
C.R
D
£615
Silver
Reed
Silver Reed
EXP550
D
NA
19cps
17
F
—
C.R
D
£654
Silver
Reed
Smith Corona
Fastext 80
M
9x8
80cps
11
T.F
H
C
D
£195
Smith
Corona
Smith Corona TP1
D
NA
Heps
13
F
—
R
D
£250
Smith
Corona
Smith Corona
L1000
D
NA
12cps
13
F
—
C.R
D
£265
Smith
Corona
Smith Corona
D200
M
17x18
160cps
11
T.F
H
C.R
M.D
£397
Smith
Corona
Smith Corona
D300
M
17x18
160cps
15
T.F
H
C.R
M.D
£596
Smith
Corona
Samleco DT-80
M
11x9
30cps
8.5
F
H
C
D
£115
Samleco
Samleco DX-85
M
9x9
120cps
10
P.F
H
C
D
£220
Samleco
Samleco DX-135
M
9x9
120cps
15
T.F
H l
C
D
£332
Samleco
Samleco DX-86
M
9x9
120cps
' 10
P.F
H
C
D
£343
Samleco
Samleco DY-40
D
—
40cps
15
T
—
C.R
- —
£895
Samleco
Sanple Daisy Junior
D
—
136cps
10
P.F
- —
C.R
—
£252
Hudson
Shinwa JP-808
M
7x8
80cps
10
F.T
B
C.R
D
£206
Hudson
Shinwa JP-100A
M
7x8
lOOcps
10
F.T
B
C.R
D
£229
Hudson
Shinwa JP-130A
M
9x9
130cps
10
F.T
B
C.R
D
£263
Hudson
Shinwa LP-1510
M
9x9
130cps
16
F.T
B
C.R
D
£378
Hudson
Star STX-80
T
9x10
60cps
10
F
B
C
D
£182
Star
Star SG10
M
9x9
120cps
10
F
B.H
C
D
£297
Star
Star FG15
M
9x9
120cps
15
F
B
C
D
£447
Star
Star Power type
D
NA
18cps
10
F
—
C
D
£436
Star
Star FD10
M
9x 11
160cps
10
T.F
B
C.R
D
£447
Star
Star FT15
M
9x 11
160cps
15
T.F
B
C.R
D
£562
Star
Star FRIO
M
9x11
200cps
10
T.F
B
C.R
M.D
£562
Star
Star FR15
M
9 x 11
200cps
15
T.F
B
C.R
M.D
£677
Star
Tandy CGP115
1
—
12cps
4.5
P
—
C
C
£150
Tandy
Tandy DMP120
M
9x9
120cps
10
T.F
B
C
—
£399
Tandy
Tandy DMP420
M
9x9
140cps
14.5
IF
B.M
C.R
D
£499
Tandy
Taxan KP-810
M .
9x9
140cps
10
T.F
H
C.R '
D
£389
DataE
Taxan KP-910
M
9x9
140cps
17
T.F
H
C
D
£493
Data E
TenshoTMPlOO
7
16x16
50cps
10
F
H
C.R
D
£252
Hudson
Texas 850
M
9x7
150cps
10
T.F
H
C.R
D.M
£ 799
Texas
Instruments
Toptronic 15
D
NA
13cps
13.5
F
H
C.R
—
£375
PMS
Toptronic 15
D
—
13.3
13.5
F
—
C.R
K.D
£431
PMS
Toshiba HX-P570
Pens
NA
-cps
12
F
H
C
C.D.G
£250
Toshiba
Toshiba HX-P550
M
*
105cps
16
F
H
C
D.G
£350
Toshiba
Triumph Adler
TRD 7020
D |
NA
20cps
14
lllFfi
—
C.R
D
£431
Triumph
Adler
Triumph Adler
DRH 80/1
M
7x9
80cps
12
T.F
H
C.R
D
£520
Triumph
Adler
Triumph Adler
DRH 136
M
7x9
120cps
—
T.F
H
C.R
D.M
£621
Triumph
Adler
Turbo 20
D
NA
20cps
15
F
—
C
—
£344
OEM
VRX80
M
7x9
lOOcps
9.5
T.F
H
C.R
D
£454
1 ntegrex
keyboard, so can be used as a
typewriter.
F — the printer can be used
as a viewdata terminal .
G — the printer can print
MSX graphics.
ADDRESS
ACT — (021) 503 0666
Brother Office Equipment —
061-330 6531
Canon (UK) Ltd — (0256)
473232
Centronics — 01-581 1011
C. Itoh Electronics Co. Ltd —
01-946 4960
Datac Ltd — 061-941 2361
Data Efficiency — (0442)
60155
Dataproducts (Retail Division)
Ltd — (0734) 884777
DRG Business Machines —
(0934) 419914
Epson — 01-902 8892
Geveke Electronics —
(04867) 88676
Hudson — 01-458 3310
I ntegrex Ltd — (0283)
215432
Intelligent Interfaces —
(0789) 296879
Mannesman Tally Ltd —
(0734) 788711
Micro Peripherals — (0256)
473232
NEC — 01-267 7000
Newbury Data — (0784)
61500
Northamber — 01-391 2066
OEM Peripherals — 01-748
8404
Olivetti -01-785 6666
Panasonic — (75) 73181
PMS Developments — (0432)
265768
Qume (UK) Ltd — (0734)
584646
Samleco — (07535) 54717
Silver Reed (UK) Ltd — (0923)
45976
Smith Corona Data Products
-01-900 1222
Star Micromics — 01-840
1800
Tandy Corp — (0922) 648181
Texas Instruments — (0234)
67466
Thame Systems — (084) 421
6698
Toshiba (UK) Ltd— (0276)
62222
Triumph Adler — 01-253
5608
X-Data — (0753) 72331
GAMES AND SIMULATORS
Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
3D Golf
737 Flight
Arcade
Cass
No
£7.95
Toshiba
Simulator
Simulator
Cass
Yes
£9.59
Microsoft
Adventure Quest
Adventure
Cass
No
£9.95
Level 9
Alpha Blaster
Antarctic
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Silversoft
Adventure
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Ant Attack
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£ 7.95
Quicksilva
Anty
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Morwood
Armoured Assault
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Athletic Land
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
A View to Kill
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£10.99
Domark
Backgammon
Traditional
Cass
Yes
£9.95
Electric
Barnstormer
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Electric
Battle Cross
Battleship
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.00
Sony
Clapton 2
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Toshiba
Beam Rider
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Binary Land
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Kuma
Blagger
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Alligata
BMX Racers
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Mastertronic
Boardello
Traditional
Cass
No
£7.95
Bubble Bus
Boulderdash
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Orpheus
Breakout
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Bridge
Traditional
Cass
No
£9.95
Alligata
Buck Rodgers
Bugaboo
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.95
Electric
{The Flea)
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Quicksilva
Buzz Off
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Electric
Cando Ninja
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Cannon Balls
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£5.95
Hudson Soft
Cannon Fighter
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Morwood
Castle Combat
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Cave Adventure
Adventure
Cass
No
£5.95
Knights
Chiller
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Mastertronic
Chuckie Egg
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.90
A&F
Circus Charlie
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Classic Adventure
Coco and the
Adventure
Cass
No
£6.95
Melbourne
House
Castle
Colossal
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Kuma
Adventure
Adventure
Cass
No
£9.95
Level 9
Comic Bakery
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Konami
Computer Billiards
Traditional
Cart
Yes
£18.00
Sony
Contract Bridge
Traditional
Cass
No
£9.95
Alligata
Crazy Bullet
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Crazy Golf
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Mr Micro
Cribbage
Traditional
Cass
No
£5.95
Kuma
Cross Force
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Cubit
Strategy
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Mr Micro
Daredevil Denis
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Visions
Darkwood Manor
Adventure
Cass
No
£7.95
Kuma
Darts
Death Valley
Traditional
Cass
No
£3.00
Orpheus
Gold Rush
Adventure
Cass
No
£7.95
Kuma
Decathlon
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Disc Warrior
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Alligata
Dog Fighter
Arcade
Cass
No
£6.95
Kuma
Dorodon
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.00
Sony '
Driller Tanks
Arcade
Cass
No
£8.95
Kuma
Dungeon Adventure
Adventure
Cass
No
£9.95
Level 9
Emerald Isle
Eric & The
Adventure
Cass
No
£6.95
Level 9
Floaters
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£5.95
Kuma
Exchanger
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Exploding Atoms
Strategy
Cass
No
£5.95
Knights
Fairy
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Morwood
Finders Keepers
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Mastertronic
Fire Rescue
Arcade
Cass
No
£7.95
Kuma
Flightpath 77
Simulator
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Anirog
Flipper Slipper
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Frantic Freddy
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Fred
Galactic
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Quicksilva
Mercenaries
Adventure
Cass
No
£7.95
Kuma
Galaxia
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Kuma
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Level 9
Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
Games Pack 1
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£4.95
Orpheus
Gang Man
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Hudson Soft
Ghostbusters
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Golf
Traditional
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Grid Runner
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£5.00
Llamasoft
Grid Trap
Strategy
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Livewire
Gumshoe Logic
Strategy
Cass
No
£9.20
Megacycal
H.E.R.O.
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Hero
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£3.95
Microcom
Highway Star
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Holdfast
Strategy
Cass
No
£5.95
Kuma
Hole In One
Traditional
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Morwood
Hot Shoe
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£5.95
Longman
Humphrey
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Mr Micro
Hunchback
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.90
Ocean
Hunter Killer
Adventure
Cass
No
£7.95
Kuma
Hustler
Traditional
Cass
Yes
£6.99
Bubble Bus
Hyper Olympics
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Konami
Hyper Sports 1
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Hyper Sports 2
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
HyperViper
Arcade
Cass
No
£7.95
Kuma
Icicle
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Statesoft
I.G.I.
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£3.95
Microcom
Illegus
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Jet Set Willy
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Software Proj
Juno First
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.00
Sony
King's Valley
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Konami’sGolf
Simulation
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Kubus
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Kuma
Lazy Jones
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Terminal
Le Mans
Arcade
Cass
No
£9.95
Electric
Les Flics
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
PSS
Lords Of Time
Adventure
Cass
No
£9.95
Level 9
Knight Othello
Strategy
Cass
No
£5.95
Knights
Magic Carpet
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Mastertronic
Manic Miner
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Software Proj
Marine Battle
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Mayhem
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Mr. Micro
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Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
Master of
the lamps
Arcade
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Maxima
Adventure
Cass
Yes
£7.95
PSS
Mean Streets
Arcade
Cass
No
£6.95
Kuma
Midnight Building
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Midway
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Mind Control
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Mastertronic
Minder
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£9.95
DKTronics
Mopiranger
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Konami
MrChing
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Morwood
Mr Wong’s Laundry
Traditional
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Artie
MSX21
Traditional
Cart
No
£18.80
Panasonic
MSX Darts
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£4.95
Orpheus
Ninja
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Kuma
Nodes of Yesod
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£9.95
Odin
Norseman
Traditional
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Electric
Noughts & Crosses
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Nug-lt
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£3.95
Microcom
Nuts and Milk
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Hudson Soft
Title
| Type
Format| Joystick J Price
| Supplier
Oh Mummy!
Traditonal
Cass
Yes
£5.95
Longman
Othello
Arcade
Cass
No
£5.95
Knights
Out Space
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Mirage
Packie
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Pairs
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Panic Junction
Strategy
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Morwood
Panzer Attack
Traditional
Cass
No
£7.95
Lothlorien
Patience
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Morwood
Pinball
Arcade
Cass
No
£7.95
Toshiba
Pineapplin
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Morwood
Pineapplin
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Pinkie
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Electric
Pitfall II
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Polar Star
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Toshiba
Pretty Sheep
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Level 9
Punchy
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Mr Micro
Puzzle Brick
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Pyramid Warp
Adventure
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Toshiba
Red Moon
Adventure
Cass
No
£6.95
Level 9
Return To Eden
Arcade
Cass
No
£9.95
Level 9
River Raid
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Roger Rubbish
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Rollerball
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Morwood
S.A.S.A.
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Sea Hunter
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Sector Alpha
Shadow Of
Adventure
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
The Bear
Arcade
Cass
No
£7.95
Kuma
Shark Hunter
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Electric
Shnax
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Kuma
Skramble
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Livewire
Sky Jaguar
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Smash
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Smash Out
Traditional
Cass
Yes
£5.95
Knights
Snooker
Adventure
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Visions
Snowball
Arcade
Cass
No
£9.95
Level 9
Sorcery
Simulation
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Virgin
Space Shuttle
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Space Trouble
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Space Walk
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£1.99
Mastertronic
Sparkie
Special
Adventure
Cart
Yes
£18.00
Sony
Operations
Arcade
Cass
No
£7.95
MC Lothlorien
Spectron
Spooks &
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Ladders
Simulation
Cass
No
£6.95
Kuma
Squash
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Squish 'em
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Star Avenger
Starship
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Kuma
Simulator
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Step Up
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Morwood
Stop The Express
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Kuma
Sub Shoot
Traditional
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Hudson Soft
Super Billiards
Traditional
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Morwood
Superchess
Arcade
Cass
No
£8.95
Kuma
Super Cobra
Strategy
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Konami
Supermaze
Strategy
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Morwood
Supermind
Strategy
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Morwood
Superpuzzle
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Morwood
Super Snake
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£14.95
Morwood
Swamp
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£3.95
M icrocom
Tawara
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Tele Bunnie
Simulation
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Tennis
Simulation
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Tennis
Adventure
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
The Hobbit
Adventure
Cass
No
£14.95
Melbourne Hse
The Red Moon
Arcade
Cass
No
£6.95
Level 9
The Snowman
The Worm in
Adventure
Cass
No
£7.95
Quicksilva
Paradise
Arcade
Cass
No
£9.95
Level 9
The Wreck
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£9.95
Electric
Time Bandits
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£7.95
PSS
Track & Field 1
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Track & Field 2
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Turboat
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Turmoil
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£18.80
Panasonic
Vicious Viper
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£5.95
Knights
Waffle
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£3.95
Microcom
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COMPUTERMATEft
You’ll find Computermates an exciting
experience. They’re sophisticated, easily
accessible, a joy to handle and easy to relax
with. • ' > ’ ■
Computermates are really a way of life.
These MSX Cartridge Programs will take the
drag out of your daily routine. Just plug in
and you’ll be in business within seconds.
There’s Wordprocessing, Card Filing,
Accounts, Communications and a host of
other efficient, time saving programs to
choose from. And they’re all so easy to use.
To call up information on the monitor you can
just use a joystick and forget the keyboard.
What can be easier than that?
5* ‘
Isn’t it time you had an affair
Computermates?
Send off for Price List.
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Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
Weedy
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£3.95
Microcom
Yie-Ar Kung Fu
Arcade
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Zakil Wood
Adventure
Cass
No
£7.95
Mr Micro
Zaxxon
Arcade
Cass
Yes
1
£11.95
Electric
Zenji
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£11.99
Activision
Zipper
Arcade
Cass
Yes
£3.95
Kuma
| EDUCATIONAL
u
Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
3D Hypermath
Maths
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Longman
Adder Sums
Maths
Cass
No
£14.95
Ampalsoft
BMX Number Jump
Maths
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Longman
Calculation 1
Maths
3 Cass
No
£9.95
Morwood
Calculation 2
Challenge My
Maths
*
3 Cass
No
£9.95
Morwood
Bluff
General
2 Cass
No
£9.95
Soft Cat
First Steps
General
Cass
Yes
£8.95
Mirrorsoft
French Is Fun
Language
Cass
No
£7.95
CDS
Fun Sums
Maths
Cass
No
£14.95
Ampalsoft
Fun With Words
Reading
Cass
No
£14.95
Ampalsoft
Funwords
Spelling
Cass
No
£9.95
Soft Cat
German Is Fun
Language
Cass
No
£7.95
CDS
Gods Of The Tomb
General
Cass
No
£9.20
Megacycal
Here & There
General
Cass
No
£7.95
Mirrorsoft
Introducing Circle 1
Maths
Cass
No
£7.95
Spectravideo
Introducing Circle 2
Maths
Cass
No
£7.95
Spectravideo
Intro Percentages
Maths
Cass
No
£7.95
Spectravideo
Intro To BASIC
BASIC
Cass
No
£6.95
Spectravideo
Intro To Numbers
Maths
3 Cass
No
£9.95
Morwood
Italian Is Fun
Language
Cass
No
£7.95
CDS
Junior Maths
Maths
Cass
No
£5.95
Knights
Kriss Kross Quiz
Large & Small
General
2 Cass
No
£9.95
Soft Cat
Numbers
Maths
Cass
No
£7.95
Morwood
Let’s Go MSX
BASIC
2 Cass
No
£9.95
Soft Cat
Mastermind
General
Cass
No
£9.99
Mirrorsoft
Mastermind Quiz
General
Cass
No
£5.99
Mirrorsoft
Math Bug
Maths
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Maths Invader
Maths
Cass
Yes
£7.95
Stell Software
Memory
Training
3 Cass
No
£9.95
Morwood
Monkey Academy
MSX BASIC
Maths
Cart
Yes
£17.40
Konami
Tutorial
BASIC
Cass
No
£16.95
Knights
MUE
General
Cart
No
£24.95
HAL/Morwood
Number Painter
Maths
Cass
Yes
£8.95
ASK
O’Level Maths
Maths
Cass
No
£9.95
Shield
O’Level Chemistry
Chemistry
Cass
No
£9.95
Shield
O’Level Physics
Physics
Cass
No
£9.95
Shield
Quiz Safari
General
Cass
No
£9.20
Megacycal
Reasoning
Training
3 Cass
No
£9.95
Morwood
Reflexes
Training
3 Cass
No
£9.95
Morwood
Revise Computers
Computing
Cass
No
£8.50
Megacycal
Revise Physics
Physics
Cass
No
£8.50
Megacycal
Simple Addition 1
Maths
Cass
No
£7.95
Spectravideo
Simple Subtraction
Maths
Cass
No
£7.95
Spectravideo
Spanish Is Fun
Language
Cass
No
£7.95
CDS
Star Words
Spelling
Cass
No
£6.95
Spectravideo
Sum Measure
Maths
Cass
No
£14.95
Ampalsoft
Sum Takeaway
Maths
Cass
No
£14.95
Ampalsoft
Sum Times
Maths
Cass
No
£14.95
Ampalsoft
Sum Weights
Maths
Cass
No
£14.95
Ampalsoft
Teach Electricity
Physics
Cass
No
£9.20
Megacycal
The Sphinx Quiz
General
Cass
No
£9.20
Megacycal
Trigonometry
Educational
Cass
No
£7.95
Spectravideo
Typing Tutor
Typing
Cass
No
%
£5.95
Knights
Uni’s Learning
Maths
Cass
No
£6.95
Spectravideo
Word Wobbler
Words
i
Cass
■
Yes
£7.95
*
Longman
BUSINESS
Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
Aackobase
Database
Cass
/disk
No
£39.10
Silversoft
Aackotext
Wordpro
Cass
/disk
No
£39.10
Silversoft
Cards
Database
Cart
No
£49.99
Computer
Mates
Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
Cash Accounts
Financial
Cart
No
£124.99
Computer
Mates
Cash Book
Accounts
Cass
No
£14.95
Micro Aid
Communications
Comm
Cass
No
£19.95
Kuma
Crediquote
Retail
Cart
No
£100.00
Office Junior
Database
Database
Cass
No
£12.95
MST
Database
Financial
Database
Cass
No
£19.95
Kuma
Calculator
Financial
Cass
No
£6.95
Spectravideo
Home Accounts
Accounts
Cass
No
£12.95
MST
Home Budget
Accounts
Cass
No
£14.95
Kuma
Homewriter
Knights
Wordpro
Cart
No
£39.95
Sony
Budget A/C
Knights
Accounts
Cass
No
£14.95
Knights
Mail List
Addresses
Cass
No
£14.95
Knights
Mail Shot
Cards
Cart
No
£99.99
Computer
Mates
Marginator
Accounts
Cass
No
£10.00
Office Junior
Memo-Calc
Database
Cass
No
£14.95
Micro Aid
MST-Calc
Speadsheet
Cass
No
£12.95
MST
MT Base
Database
Cart
No
£49.95
MT Technology
Partsearch
Stock
Cass
No
£100.00
Office Junior
Payroll
Wages
Cart
No
£99.00
Computer
Mates
Payroll
RS 233
Wages
Cass
No
£29.95
Micro Aid
Communications
Spectra
Comm
Cart
—
£229.99
Comp Mates
Chequebook
Accounts
Cass
No
£6.95
Spectravideo
Shoppastoppa
Retail
Cass
No
£100.00
Office Junior
Spreadsheet
Spreadsheet
Cass
No
£29.95
Kuma
Spreadsheet
Spreadsheet
Cart
•
No
£49.99
Computer
Mates
Stock Control
Stock
Cass
No
£34.95
Kemp
Tasprint
Printing
Cass
No
£9.90
Tasman
Tasword MSX
Wordpro
Cass
No
£13.90
Tasman
WDpro
Wordpro
Cass
No
£29.95
Kuma
Word Processor
Text
Cart
No
£49.99
Computer
Mates
VAT Cracker
Financial
Cass
No
£10.00
Office Junior
UTILITIES
Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
Colour Fantasia
Graphics
Cass
No
£9.95
Kuma
Champ
Assembler
Cass
No
£12.95
PSS
EDDY II
Graphics
Cart
No
£24.95
HALVMorwood
Games Creator
Programming
Cass
Yes
£12.95
Mirrorsoft
Games Designer
Programming
Cass
Yes
£9.95
Quicksilva
Go-Sprite
Graphics
Cass
Yes
£9.95
Mirrorsoft
Graphic Designer
Graphics
Cass
No
£14.95
Electric Studio
Hisoft Devpack
Ass/Disass
Cass
No
£19.95
Hisoft
Hisoft Pascal
Pascal
Cass
No
£29.95
Hisoft
Kuma Forth
Forth
Cass
No
£39.95
Kuma
Logo
Logo
Cass
No
£19.95
Kuma
Machine Code
Assembler
Cass
No
£28.75
Knights
MSX Graphics
Graphics
Cass
No
£5.95
Knights
MT Debugger
Operation
Programming
Cart
NO
£39.95
MT Technology
Caretaker
Maintenance
Cass
No
£9.95
Global
Picasso
Graphics
Cass
Yes
£9.95
Morwood
Psychedelia
Speech
Graphics
Cass
Yes
£6.00
Kuma
Synthesis
Voice
Cart
No
£69.50
Kuma
Sprite Editor
Graphics
Cass
No
£6.95
Electric Studio
Tasprint MSX
Printing
Cass
No
£9.90
Tasman
Zen M/Code System
M/Code
Cass
No
£19.95
Kuma
MISCELLANEOUS
Title
Type
Format
Joystick
Price
Supplier
MSX Demonstrator
Demonstrator
Cass
No
£5.95
Knights
MT Comms
Comm
Cass
No
£79.95
MT T echnology
Music Mentor
Musical
Cass
Yes
£6.95
Spectravideo
Odyssey K
Musical
Cass
No
£11.95
Rittor Music
PSG Musiwriter
Musical
Cart
No
£19.95
Rittor Music
Star Seeker
Star Guide
Cass
No
£9.95
Mirrorsoft
Advertisers Index
A
Alfred Lees 89
Ampalsoft 36
AudioTechniques 78
B
Bonel&Curtis 90
C
Carlsbro’ Sound 57
C. J. Freeman 91
Combined Independent Holdings 86-87
Computer Mates 104
D
Dawson 36
Digital Music 36
E
E&N French 88
F
Freemans 52
Fred Moore 90
Future 56
G
Galaxy 68
H
Hago 42
Hamilton 90
HarryGarlick 91
Hi Soft 53
Hi Vu Electronics 91
Hakon 69
I
Ilford Audio 88
J
J.G.Gibbons 90
John King Films 68
Jothan Software 52
JSG Music 57
K
Kings Radio 91
Konama 54
Kuma IBC
O
Orpheus 53
P
P&H Electronics 57
PeterTyson 90
Phillips 17
Pioneer IFC
R
R. Upfield .90
RittorMusic 78
S
S. P. Electronics 89
Sanyo 4
Software City 74
Sound Control . 57
Sound& Vision 79
South Ealing Electrical 89
Stanley Productions 68
T
Tavistock Hi Fi 8
Tiger Dealers 90
Toshiba OBC
U
Unit Soft 78
W
Westminster 68
Woolfmans 88
It s easy to complain
about an advertisement.
Once you know how.
One of the ways we keep a check on the
advertising that appears in the press, on posters
and in the cinema is by responding to consumers’
complaints.
Any complaint sent to us is considered
carefully and, if there’s a case to answer, a full,
investigation is made.
If you think you’ve got good reason to
complain about an advertisement, send off for a
copy of our free leaflet.
It will tell you all you need to know to help us
process your complaint as quickly as possible.
The Advertising Standards Authority.
If an advertisement is wrong, we’re here to put it right.
ASA Ltd, Dept 1 Brook House,
Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HN
This space is donated in the interests of high standards of advertising.
General advice to readers
concerning advertisements
When replying to advertisements in this issue, you should note the following points:
1 . Always clarify the exact nature of any guarantee being offered.
2. Never send cash — always a cheque, Postal or Money Order.
3. Insist on a written receipt.
4. Clearly state the equipment you seek, and detail any acceptable alternatives.
5. Request an immediate statement of how and when the goods are to be delivered
and whether the delivery will be split.
6. Check by telephone the latest prices and availability of goods you are ordering.
7. Cases of non-supply or wrong supply of goods should initially be taken up directly
and as soon as possible with the supplier.
8. Because of fluctuations fn prices and discounts, ft is advisable to ensure that you
reply only to advertisements published in current issues.
Mail Order Protection Scheme
(Limited Liability)
If you order goods from mail order advertisers in this magazine and pay by post
in advance of delivery, this publication (What MSX?) will consider you for
compensation if the advertiser should become insolvent or bankrupt, provided:
1 . You have not received the goods pr had your money returned; and
2. You write to the publisher of this publication (What MSX?) explaining the
position not earlier than 26 days from the day you sent your order and not
later than 2 months from that day.
Please do not wait until the last moment to inform us. When you write, we will
tell you how to make your claim and what evidence of payment is required.
We guarantee to meet the cfeims from readers made in accordance with the
above procedure as soon as possible after the advertiser has been declared
bankrupt or insolvent up to a limit of £6,500 per annum for any one advertiser so
affected and up to £19,500 p.a. in respect of all insolvent advertisers. Claims may
be paid for higher amounts, or when the above procedure had not been complied
with, at the decision of the publication (What MSX?) but we do not guarantee to
do so in view of the need to set some limit to this commitment and to learn
quickly of readers' difficulties.
This guarantee covers only advance payments sent in direct response to an
advertisement in this magazine (not, for example, payments made in response
to catalogues etc, received as a result of answering such advertisements).
Classified advertisements are excluded.
Note: The sums referred to are annual amounts available for compensation
ancTthey will be divided equally amongst all valid claims received.
Kuma Computers Ltd., Unit 12, Horseshoe Park
Horseshoe Road, Pangbourne, Berks RG8 7JVW.
Please send full catalogue on MSX products.
Name ..
Address
Phone
MSX Computer
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You’d expect one of the best-selling
home computers in Japan to have a
specification list as big as its memory.
But the Toshiba HX10 doesn’t just
limit itself to that.
It was developed along with other
Japanese home computers to operate
So if you want a computer that won’t
be obsolete in a few years, buy an MSX
If you want one of the best-selling MSX
computers in Japan, buy aToshiba HX10
on one language rMSX.You can swap prog-
rams, games, cassettes, even peripherals
like disk drives, printers, and joysticks:
they’re all compatible with every other
MSX computer.
All of which makes MSX the system
of the future.
§m$sm
“I'M A TOSHIBA HX10. ,
I ' UE GOT ALL THE
BEST BITS FROM EUERY
OTHER HOME COMPUTER.
AND MORE. I HAUE A
64K MEMORY, LIKE THE
COMMODORE 64. A
CASSETfE INTERFACE,
LIKE THE BBC. TWO “
JOYSTICK PORTS, LIKE
THE COMMODORE 64.
A BUILT IN POWER
SUPPLY, LIKE THE
BBC. 16 USABLE
COLOURS, LIKE THE
ACORN ELECTRON. ODER
70 FULL STROKE KEYS,
LIKE THE BBC. A
CARTRIDGE SLOT, LIKE
THE COMMODORE 64.
A PRINTER INTERFACE,
LIKE THE OR I C ATMOS.
SOUND OUTPUT THROUGH
THE T.U. , LIKE THE
COMMODORE 64. AN
AUDT0/UIDE0 OUTPUT
CONNECTION, LIKE
THE COMMODORE 64.
RF BUILT IN LIKE
THE BBC. AND: A
SEPARATE 16K UIDEO
MEMORY, UNLIKE MOSf
NON-MSX COMPUTERS.
32 SPRITES, MORE
THAN MOST NON-MSX
COMPUTERS. AND I USE
MICROSOFT EXTENDED
BASIC, LIKE EUERY
OTHER MSX COMPUTER . "
“WOW. WITH A
SPECIFICATION LIST
LIKE THAT.
NO WONDER YOU ' UE
GOT A 64K MEMORY . “
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
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Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
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9/11